


Siblings, Amnesia, and Assassins

by CloudSkylark18



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Dragons, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fights, Friendship, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Portal - Freeform, Pre-War, Temporary Character Death, The Risen, They're basically zombies right?, Traveling, War, What even are the Risen?, Zombies, earthquake, i think, swearing fealty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26877829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudSkylark18/pseuds/CloudSkylark18
Summary: Akiri is an assassin with morals. Robin is a tactician with no memory. Willow is Robin’s twin sister, and is also missing her memory. All three have one thing in common; Chrom trusted them and took them in.Both Male and Female Robin will be in this story. You can also find this story on FanFiction.(Pairings will be revealed at a later date - when they become relevant)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. A Brief Word

The things we have in common are often far and few between, but this was not the case for three of the heroes of Ylisse. Their common ground was in the form of the prince of Ylisse, who trusted them and would have risked his life for them. The first was the Chief Tactician of the Shepherds whose memory was missing. The second was the twin sister of the Tactician, who also had amnesia. And the third was an assassin with morals, and a code of honor… sort of. This is their moment, and their story.


	2. Ties That Bind

_ The Tactician _

The final battle was upon us, and it was proving to be our toughest battle yet. The man we were fighting was talented; wielding his tome with an ease that spoke mastery. I myself was handy with a tome, but not to the extent of man before us. I watched as a man with blue hair charged our opponent. He swung his blade, but was met with magical deflection at every turn and even had to dodge a spell that the other man cast. I prepared to cast a spell of my own, but the man disappeared. I cursed, but the stranger with the sword pointed to the ceiling.

“Up there!” he called out. I was forced to dodge as a spell was sent my way, and though the angle was bad I released the spell I’d been in the process of casting.

“You fool!” my opponent mocked as the spell merely grazed him if anything. Then he vanished again, only to ram into my comrade, blue sparks coating his body, breaking apart a pillar from the force of the blow. Then our foe began to cast another spell, intent on taking out the man with blue hair. The moment he let it fly I sent my own spell to clash with it, but I wasn’t the only one. As my electricity made contact with the purple ball of energy, an orb of fire also made contact. A small explosion resulted, and when the dust settled the foe we were facing gave me a look that showed annoyance if not a bit of mild impression.

“Chrom, are you okay?” a woman’s voice said, and I looked towards my injured comrade. He was on his feet, and nodding to a young woman who looked to be about the same age as me. Her hair was black and pulled into a high pony tail as well as being braided along the sides. Her dark blue eyes showed concern for the man who was fighting alongside us.

“I’m fine Willow, but we’re not done yet,” the man, Chrom said, “How are you holding up *****?”

“Just fine,” I said, “Now let’s end this!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Willow said grinning. With that we launched into another flurry of blows. Willow started with another fire spell before leaping in with her dagger flashing. Chrom backed her up from close range; guarding her while she casted and leaping in to help her when her blade came out. I stayed back and fired off a Thoron spell. Even with all three of us fighting it still seemed as though our foe had the upper hand. Then something shifted, and Willow landed the first blow. Chrom was next though he narrowly avoided what was probably a lethal attack. Then my Thoron found its mark, though I would have been caught in our foe’s counter-spell if Willow hadn’t deflected it with one of her own.

For a time it went on like this and the three of us suffered minor wounds. Willow had a shallow gash on her arm and was limping after twisting away from the same attack that had left her wounded. Chrom had minor cuts on his arms and face. I, myself would likely have a scar under my left eye as well as a wound to my side that would need attention after we finished here. Willow suddenly threw her dagger, and the blade lodged itself in our foe’s shoulder. The man bit back a sound of pain and a curse as he sent his magic at the offending fighter. I managed to block it with a well-placed Thoron, before sending another straight at the blade protruding from the man’s shoulder. He let out a howl of agony as the electricity traveled through the blade into him. Before he could recover Chrom struck; his blade piercing the man’s heart.

The man let out a strangled sound as Chrom pulled away, allowing his body to fall. Our foe was wreathed in a purple flame. Chrom sent me a look of relief, but it wasn’t over yet. Our fallen foe suddenly reared up and sent a spell straight for Chrom.

“This isn’t over!” the man cried as the attacked hurtled straight towards my comrade, “D*** you all!”

Before the spell hit Chrom I pushed him out of the way. A scream caught in my throat, but I wasn’t about to give my opponent the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt. My vision went white, and I was dimly aware of flying through the air. The moment I landed Chrom, and Willow rushed to my side.

“*****, are you okay?” Willow asked. I managed a weak nod, though something felt off. Chrom helped me to stand.

“That’s the end of him,” Chrom said; it was easy to tell he was relieved, “Thanks to you and Willow we carried the day.”

“Yeah, we can finally rest easy, right Chrom?” Willow asked with a smile.

“Yeah, at long last,” Chrom replied. Suddenly my vision became clouded with red; a bit of purple was mixed in. I watched helplessly as Chrom and Willow sent me worried looks.

“*****, what wrong?” Willow asked her voice laced with panic.

“Hey, hang on-” Chrom let out a choked sound, and Willow screamed. My vision returned to normal as Chrom backed away from me. His hand was at his chest where a blade of electricity was buried. Blood was pouring from the wound, and a crackling sound brought my attention to my hand. Sparks were starting to fade as I looked at my gloved appendage. My hand began to shake as I looked back at Chrom.

“This is not your… your fault,” Chrom spoke through the pain, “Promise me… you’ll escape from this place. Please go…” Chrom trailed off as he collapsed. I wanted to cry, or maybe be sick but instead I backed away from my fallen comrade. I turned to see Willow’s shocked face from where she knelt on the ground. I swallowed, and turned away; running from the sight, but I hadn’t gotten far when my vision went black. The last thing I heard was the sound of our opponent’s laughter; echoing around my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering about the ***** bits there is a reason. Well, it's a name of a character - I'm pretty sure you all know who it is - but I put ***** to make things flow a bit better and more like what I imagine in canon. I don't know if I explained that right, but when the next update comes out I'll try and explain it better there.


	3. The Verge of History

_ Willow _

My head was pounding and my entire body ached. I shifted trying to alleviate the pain, but it didn’t help. Of course lying on the ground without a bedroll probably wasn’t the best idea anyway. Then at that moment of realization came a thought.

_‘What am I doing outside?’_ I thought, my eyes flying open. My mind was fuzzy, and the more I tried to think of how I ended up here the worse my headache got. I ended up staring at the sky for a while as the clouds rolled past overhead. Nothing made sense, and with my memory acting up on me I doubted anything would soon. After a bit I turned my attention from the sky and slowly pushed myself into a sitting position. With that done I looked around trying to get my bearings, but nothing jumped out. However, there was one thing my observations had told me; I was utterly alone. That was both a comfort, and a cause for worry.

The comfort came from the fact that I hadn’t been kidnapped or mugged. The worry was of course that if I didn’t find someone soon… well, I could very well die out here. Then I heard the whinny of a horse. It sounded close, but that could’ve been a trick of the wind. Still I stood and began walking in the direction it had come from.

_ The Tactician _

Darkness was what I was first conscious to. I could feel the sun beating down on me, which was odd because I couldn’t remember being outside. Though thinking about it I couldn’t really remember anything at all. I lay there and tried to piece everything together as clouds drifted by overhead occasionally bathing me in shadow. Unfortunately all that got me was a pounding head. So I chose to simply stay there and hopefully everything would come back to me. I’m not sure how long I lay there, but it was long enough to almost slip back into unconsciousness. Thankfully, something caught my attention before I could.

It was the sound of hooves, and hidden under that the sound of human feet. There were people coming my way. I decided to feign sleep in order to figure out what they wanted.

“Hey, what’s that?” a young woman’s voice called out. I wasn’t sure why brigands or bandits (not that there’s much of a difference) would have a woman among them, but I still wasn’t about to reveal that I was awake. I could hear someone dismounting, and the whinny of a horse. Then three sets of footsteps headed my way. They stopped just shy of me, and shifted a bit. I figured they were probably trying to figure out if I was alone or bait. They seemed to think I was safe enough because the girl spoke again.

“…We have to do _something_ ,” she said, “Who knows how long he’s been lying here.”

“What do you propose we do?” a man asked. I suspected this must be who she was talking to. Something about his voice struck me as familiar; I’d heard it before of that much I was sure. Against my better judgement I cracked my eyes open a bit, but that only gave me a blurry view of the two people standing over me.

“I… I dunno,” the girl said. I opened my eyes a bit more and shifted. I mentally cursed when they looked over at me. But I was surprised that they seemed to be relieved that I was alive.

“I see you’re awake now,” the man said. I almost gasped in realization because somehow I did recognize him.

“Hey there,” the girl said. She had blond hair pulled into a pair of high pig tails. She wore an off-yellow dress with long sleeves, and a pair of nice brown boots. I inclined my head in her direction.

“There’re better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know,” the blue haired man said with a smile, “Give me your hand.”

As I reached out for his gloved one I noticed that I had a strange purple mark on the back of my hand. It was shaped like a thin ‘u’ with eye shaped designs; three on each side. But I wasn’t the only one with a strange mark because the man had one too, located on his right shoulder. Once I’d gotten a firm grip on the guy’s hand he hauled me to my feet.

“You all right?” he asked once I’d found my center of balance.

“Y-yes…” I said my voice a bit raspy from disuse, “Thank you, Chrom.”

“Ah, then you know who I am?” the blue haired man said. I could tell he was more on guard than he’d been moments ago. So was the man behind him and he was giving me a narrow eyed look. But I had no idea where the name had come from.

“No actually, I… it’s strange…” I trailed off for a minute trying to think if I’d ever heard the name before, but nothing jumped out, “Your name, it just… came to me.”

Chrom hummed thoughtfully before speaking, “How curious. Tell me, what’s your name? What brings you here?”

“My name is…” I trailed off puzzled, “It’s… hmm?”

“You don’t remember your own name?” Chrom asked. I wracked my brain, but it proved futile as my name stayed buried wherever it was hidden. Then something else struck me; I had no idea where I was.

“I’m not sure if…” I trailed off looking around, “I’m sorry, but where am I, exactly?”

The girl startled, “Hey, I’ve heard of this! It’s called amnesia!”

The man with brown hair scoffed, “It’s called a load of pegasus dung. We’re to believe you remember milord’s name, but not your own?”

I could understand the man’s skepticism; I wouldn’t have believed me if I were in his place. Still it was the truth, as unbelievable as it was.

“B-but it’s the truth!” I mentally cursed my stutter. Still stuttering might be better than an even voice; it helped to make my situation more believable.

Chrom held up a placating hand before muttering something to his companion. The brown haired man sighed, but said something that seemed to count as permission. Then Chrom spoke up.

“Right then- we’ll take him back to town and sort this out there,” I looked between the three of them before finding my voice.

“Wait just one moment. Do I have a say in this?” I asked incredulously. Chrom laughed and raised his hands in another placating fashion.

“Peace friend- I promise we’ll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come,” I could hear the authority in his voice, so I wasn’t about to question him again. However, before we could go anywhere someone called out from behind us.

“Hey, wait just a minute!” the voice was female, and familiar to me; even more so than Chrom’s. However, I couldn’t place it right away.

“Who…” Chrom peered over my shoulder as the stern-looking man glared at me.

“I believe we’ve been tricked milord,” he said in an almost self-satisfied way. I shook my head, and opened my mouth to deny it but the girl called out again.

“Where do you think you’re going with my brother?!” she shouted angrily. I spun around, and took in her appearance. She wore a cloak similar to mine, though that was where the similarities ended. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail and braided along each side; plus it was black. Her eyes were dark blue, and currently narrowed.

“Willow, is that you?” I asked in disbelief. She sent me a look that was both relieved, and concerned.

“‘Course it is,” she said nodding a bit, “Just what’s going on here anyway?”

“Well,” I began, “We’re supposed to be heading into town in order to sort somethings out.”

Willow cocked her head to the side before she spoke again, “Oh, well then I suppose I’ll have to come along too.”

Chrom looked between the two of us confused before nodding, “That would definitely be helpful.”

“I thought it might be,” Willow said cheekily, “Well, then lead the way good sir.”

And with that being said Chrom took the lead while the brown hair man helped the blond girl onto his horse before taking the reins. Willow and I shared a silent look; each promising to look out for the other if things got bad.

_ The Assassin _

I was bored out of my mind. The reason was because I’d been sitting in a tree for hours waiting for my targets. I was told they’d been spotted in the area, and so I’d decided that waiting in a tree to ambush them was the best plan. Unfortunately, my opinion quickly changed when I realized I hadn’t bothered to ask how long ago they’d last been sighted. Hence, the reason I was bored, cramped and tired. With nothing better to do I decided that it wouldn’t hurt for me to take a nap. So, I closed my eyes and drifted back to sealing the contract.

_*flashback/dream*_

_“So these targets, what do they do?” I asked. The man shifted nervously and my eyes narrowed to slits. Something about this seemed fishy, but then perhaps he’d heard of my reputation._

_“They’re shepherds they are,” the man said. I quirked an eyebrow._

_“Shepherds… and why pray tell do you wish me to attack innocent people?” I asked suspicion clear in my voice. The man swallowed before replying._

_“They ain’t innocent,” he said, “They’re thieving scum what stole some great treasure from my master.”_

_“So, your master sent you to find me,” I deduced hiding my suspicion under a mask of indifference, “In hopes that I might retrieve said treasure, and deal with the miscreants in the process.”_

_“That’s it exactly,” the man said relieved that I seemed to understand the situation, “You’ll be rewarded quite handsomely as well for the rendered services.”_

_“Very well, give me their information and I’ll be on my way,” I said in a bored fashion. The man let out a sigh before giving me their information. My targets were two men and a young woman. They’d last been seen around Southtown heading even farther south. With that firmly in mind I took the partial payment that I always required before taking a job, and then headed south._

_*flashback end*_

And that led me to the point where I was sitting in a tree completely bored, and tired beyond belief. Of course the moment I decided to get comfortable is the moment that my targets decided to show up. As it was though instead of the three I’d been told about there were five. The first man had blue hair and carried an ornate sword. The next held the reins of a horse on which a girl with blond hair sat. This girl seemed to be in deep conversation with the man who held the reins. The last two wore garments so similar that I had to wonder what their relationship was.

The first was a young man with white hair. He seemed unsure of his surroundings, and more than a little tense. The second was another girl. Her hair was black, and she kept glancing around with dark blue eyes full of curiosity. As luck would have it the group came to a stop right under my tree. I was quick to adjust my position to one that allowed me to listen in, and stay steady at the same time.

_ Willow _

We’d been walking for quite some time so I was secretly glad when my brother came to a stop. I could tell that he was still concerned of our fate, especially with me being here; he’d always been protective of me (which drove me crazy more often than not).

“What will you do with us?” my brother asked, “Are we to be your prisoners?”

I jumped a little, “Is that what this is?! But we’ve done nothing wrong!”

“Hah!” the man with blue hair said, “You’ll both be free to go once we establish that neither of you are enemies of Ylisse.”

“Ylisse?” I asked. The name didn’t sound familiar, but it also didn’t sound unfamiliar.

“Is that where we are?” my brother asked. The man with brown hair laughed as though he’d just heard a joke, but didn’t find it particularly funny.

“You’ve never heard of the halidom? Ha! Someone pay these actors,” he said, “They play quite the fools.”

“Hey, that’s just mean!” I said indignantly, though the man just ignored me.

“The furrowed brows are especially convincing,” the man said dark eyes searching for a slip that would never come.

The man with blue hair admonished the other quietly, but with authority, “The land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt. I suppose introductions are in order…” he trailed off for a moment, “my name is Chrom- but then, you already knew that.”

“Umm… I didn’t” I offered. The man cracked a smile before continuing.

“Yes well, the delicate one here is my little sister Lissa,” the blue haired man said. The blond girl, who’d gotten off the horse at some point, glared at him.

“I am _not_ delicate!” Lissa huffed a bit, “Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes,” I snickered a little, “But you’re lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would have been a rude awakening!”

I shared a glance with my brother before I spoke, “Shepherds? You tend sheep? … In full armor?”

“How peculiar,” my brother said.

The man with blue hair laughed, “Heh, it’s a dangerous job. Just ask Frederick the wary here.”

“A title I shall wear with pride,” Frederick said standing a little taller, or he seemed to be to me, “Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution.”

“But that’s no fun,” I teased hoping to get a reaction from him. However, my hopes were dashed when Frederick continued as though I’d never interrupted.

“I have every wish to trust you, strangers, but my station mandates otherwise,” he said. My brother nodded, and I grudgingly had to admit that he was right to be cautious.

“I understand, sir. I would do no less myself,” my brother spoke up, “My name is Robin… I just remembered that. How odd. I suppose that’s one mystery solved.”

I started and looked at Robin, “Wait you couldn’t even remember your own name?!”

“Not until now,” my brother said just as confused as I was. Suddenly there was a sound of creaking followed by a loud ‘snap’ and a scream.

_ The Assassin _

I cursed when I heard my targets introduce themselves. I growled inaudible to those below.

“This job is a complete and utter bust,” I hissed to myself, “Those stupid Plegian dogs set me up, and now I won’t be able to collect the rest of my money. I suppose that’s better than having a mark put on my head. Still maybe I should teach those dogs a lesson.”

I shifted a bit, and that’s when the branch let out a creak. I stiffened, and held my breath but then the branch snapped. I let loose a silent curse, all the while screaming as I fell. After hitting most of the branches on the way down I was jolted to a stop. The world was upside down, and the group of five were staring at me. I swallowed before smiling awkwardly.

“Um… would any of you mind giving me a hand?” I asked, “I appear to be stuck.”

“What were you doing in a _tree_?!” Lissa asked.

“Sleeping… for the most part,” I admitted, “Then you all came along and woke me up. So, then now that you know, could I get some help?”

“Of course,” Chrom said after a moment, “Just hold on one second.”

“Milord,” Frederick said and I tensed a bit, “I suggest you hold off on helping _this_ stranger for a moment.”

“Don’t mind me I’m just hanging here,” I said, “But if you’re worried about me being a stranger, the name’s Akiri.”

Chrom looked between me and the two wearing similar cloaks, “Robin, Willow and Akiri? Are those foreign?” he asked; I didn’t know about the other two but mine definitely was, “Ah, well. We can discuss it later. We’re almost to town.”

Before he could help me down Frederick stopped him, “I wouldn’t be taking _this_ Akiri anywhere with us without chains. She wears the crest of an assassins guild.”

Lissa gasped and looked at me as though she couldn’t believe it, “What, really?”

“Well, everyone’s got to make a living somehow,” I said with a slight shrug, “Besides I have my limits of what I do and don’t do.”

Frederick didn’t look convinced, and everyone else seemed to be on guard now as well. Despite this Chrom still spoke up.

“This isn’t the time or place for explanations or interrogations. We’ll get you down, but you’ll have to come with us to town and answer any questions we might have. Once we-” he was cut off by Lissa who was looking towards Southtown with wide eyes.

“Chrom look!” she yelled pointing to the town, “The town!”

From my upside-down position it was a little difficult to see what was going on, but I managed to make out what could be smoke. Normally that wouldn’t have concerned me, but there was quite a bit. That led me to believe that the town had been set ablaze. And apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“D*****! The town is ablaze!” Chrom cursed, “Those blasted brigands, no doubt… Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!”

Without waiting to see if they were following him Chrom began heading towards Southtown.

“What about them?” Frederick asked gesturing to me and Chrom’s other travelling companions. Chrom looked over his shoulder agitation clear in his eyes.

“Unless they’re on fire as well, it can wait!” the blue haired man said before continuing on his way. Frederick nodded and quickly mounted his horse pulling Lissa up behind him.

“Aptly put, milord,” the brunet said as he urged his horse into a run.

“Let’s go already!” Lissa said a worried edge to her voice as the two followed her brother, leaving the rest of us behind.

_ Robin _

“But what about-” I called out only to stop when I realized they were already too far away, “Hmm…”

“How rude, they just left us!” Willow huffed before letting out a sigh, “Still I suppose saving the town is more important.”

I nodded absently. Willow looked at me, and I knew that she could tell what I was thinking. And she was quick to put my thoughts into words.

“Think they’ll need help?” my sister asked. Before I could reply the assassin beat me to it.

“Probably, if there are brigands in town as Chrom suspected,” she said certainty in her hazel eyes, “There’s only three of them and who knows how many brigands. They’ll take down their fair share, but their likely to be overpowered.”

I shared a look with Willow. Despite the fact that Akiri was probably an enemy she made a good point. I could tell Willow desperately wanted to head to the town and lend her aide, and truthfully so did I. But I wasn’t sure if the two of us would be able to make it to Chrom and the others on our own, but maybe if we had a third member in our party.

“If we get you down will you help us fight for the town?” I asked. Willow looked at me like I was crazy, but we really didn’t have another option at the moment.

“I suppose,” Akiri said indifference radiating off of her voice, “Besides I might have a score to settle with these invaders.”

Willow sighed but moved to grab Akiri’s arm, “Well, if we’re going to do this let’s get to it.”

I nodded and grabbed the brown haired girl’s other arm. Our first few attempts didn’t go quite as planned, though all we were doing was simply pulling on her arms. She cursed a few times and chided us to be more careful. Thankfully I was able to find the problem; the assassin’s foot was wedged in between two branches shaped like a ‘v’.

“Let’s try pulling again Willow,” I said. Both the girl’s looked at me as though I had two heads.

“I think we’ve established that pulling won’t work Robin,” my sister said, “She stuck fast, and we need to hurry or Chrom and the others might be in real trouble.”

“She’s right you know,” Akiri said, “I’ll probably still be here when you all finish saving the town. Besides I’d rather not have one leg that’s longer than the other.”

“That’s why we’re not going to pull straight down,” I said, “If we pull you forward that should free your leg, with no damage other than a few scrapes. Any objections?”

When no answer was forth coming I began executing the plan. Thankfully Willow was quick to lend her assistance once again. It took a few moments but Akiri’s leg was finally free, though the force Willow and I’d been applying to our pulls landed us on our rears. But though she’d been upside down and should have landed on her head Akiri was on her feet and ready to move.

“If you’re both done catching your breaths I think we should be going now,” she said. Willow and I quickly stood and followed her as she led the way into town. I could tell we were getting closer as the smell of smoke became more potent. I was also able to detect the smell of burning wood, clothing and what I feared might be flesh. As we continued on our way Akiri spoke up.

“Okay, before we get too far you should know that most of these men we’ll be fighting are practiced thieves and murderers,” she said, “They will grant us no quarter, so it’s kill or be killed. Are you prepared for that?”

Willow sent her a determined look, “If that’s what it takes, then I’ll do whatever I can. How about you Robin?”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had to kill someone or not. Still I wouldn’t let anyone hurt my sister. Akiri cracked a half-smile.

“Well, that’s good to hear because the town’s just ahead,” she said. As we stepped into the town we were swept into the chaos. I ducked an axe swing to the head as Akiri leapt over me and the weapon’s wielder. She pulled out her own weapons, strange looking knives. As the brunet came down behind the man she slashed him with her blades. He let out a pained howl and turned towards her. Before he could hit her she back-flipped out of the way sending him a taunting look. As he made to charge her I grabbed a short sword from the ground and, with only a slight moment of hesitation, swung and caught him in the leg.

The man howled as his leg buckled beneath him. He tried to stand, but was unable to; all he achieved was to make himself loose blood faster. He sent me such a look of anger and hatred, but beneath it all I could see a trace of fear. Unfortunately this was not the time to be merciful, though I did wish that we could at least find out what they were doing in the town. This man would just end up slowing us down in the long run, plus with the amount of blood he was losing and had lost he likely wouldn’t last much longer.

“Watch out!” Akiri’s voice broke through my cluttered thoughts. The man had managed to stand and was prepared to kill me. Akiri was too far away to help, and the angle wasn’t ideal for her to try throwing her weapons. And caught off guard as I was I knew I wouldn’t be able to bring my blade up in time to stop the blow.

“Fire!” Willow’s voice rang out and was quickly followed by a flaming orb. It hit the man in the side, and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air. I gagged as the man let out an unearthly scream before he fell over. It was clear he was dead. I looked over at my sister. Her eyes were wide, and she looked like she might end up getting sick. I was immediately by her side placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Willow…” I said softly.

_ Willow _

I started when my brother’s voice sounded next to my ear. I looked into his gray eyes. So many emotions swam in their dark depths; relief, gratitude, worry. I swallowed dislodging the lump that had somehow formed in my throat.

“I… I’m fine Robin,” I said thickly doing my best to keep my voice level for his sake, “Here, I found one for you too,” I handed my brother a tome for thunder magic. Robin took it wordlessly, but it was clear he was going to talk with me about this later. We didn’t have time for that though, a fact that Akiri made obviously clear.

“Look I know this is going to sound harsh, but we need to get moving,” the brunette said, “You can reflect on this moment later, after we aide Chrom and the others.”

“Right,” I said with a nod. Robin looked between the two of us, but it was clear that he was of the same mind as our ally. With our new found determination the three of us made our way farther into the town. It was easy to see which way Chrom, Lissa and Frederick had gone. Men dressed in the same fashion as the one we’d dealt with lay on the ground dead. I tried not to let my eyes linger on them for very long, but it was hard. I knew that these men would have left others in the same position, but such a waste of human life was pointless. Thankfully, the few men we ran into either ignored us or fled; though it wasn’t from us, they were obviously afraid of something or someone else.

It wasn’t long before we saw the cause. Close to the town’s cathedral Chrom and the others were in the midst of a skirmish. Despite the fact that most of the invaders had been dealt with, the three fighting were still outnumbered. It also didn’t help that Lissa appeared to be more versed in healing than in fighting. Regardless of the sick feeling creeping up on me again I began readying a fire spell, but before I could release it Akiri held out an arm.

“Before you do something reckless we should get closer and let those three know that we’re here to help,” the brown haired woman said, “Otherwise they might think that we’re trying to aid the enemy, or they could end up in the crossfire.”

“Ah… yes you have a point,” I spoke my voice sheepish. With no further words the three of us rushed towards the two groups locked in combat. As we drew closer we ended up catching Chrom’s attention. A man tried to take that opportunity to strike, but Akiri was there before he could slashing the thug’s throat.

“You shouldn’t let something like that distract you,” she admonished Chrom her gaze hard.

“You’re right, I was just surprised to see you all here,” Chrom admitted, “So… why are you?”

“Well, we can fight,” Robin said, “I know my way around with a sword, and Willow knows her magic. Plus you’ve seen Akiri’s skills up close just now. And besides the people of this town are innocent; they don’t deserve this.”

“Robin’s right. It just wouldn’t be right for us to ignore these people in their time of need,” I supplied with a smile. As we spoke Frederick rode up with Lissa in tow.

“Are you alright Milord?” he asked Chrom. The man in question nodded before turning his attention back to us.

“Well, then who am I to refuse such aid? Just be careful,” he said setting his sights on a man near the back of group of invaders, “since I’d like to ask you all somethings after this.”

“Right, you don’t have to worry about us,” my brother said. I nodded in agreement, while Akiri briefly glanced at Chrom before launching herself into the fray. With no more time to talk I began chanting an orb of fire bursting into being. The moment it was fully formed I launched into towards the group before me. It hit one of the men dead center in the chest, and an inhuman scream flew from his throat. I winced slightly, but continued hurling fireballs at my foes. Beyond me in the distance Akiri moved gracefully through the horde of enemies; her strange daggers flashing in dying light of the sun. Closer by, but still separated by a sea of bodies I caught a glimpse of my brother hurling lightning at a foe while Chrom guarded his back.

Next to me Frederick’s spear struck enemies with the speed of a snake; each and every blow connecting with a body. Lissa’s eyes had a grim look to them, but she appeared to be used to this sort of thing. That had me wondering what sorts of things she had to have seen to give her that look at such a young age. I dodged to the side when a man tried to hit me with his blade, but that only put me in the line of fire for a mage who took the chance presented to him. I yelped as the sleeve of my robe caught fire and quickly batted at the fabric. Once my arm was no longer in danger of being charred I sent my own flame back at the offending magic user, who wasn’t as lucky as I was.

The battle continued in this fashion for a while longer before the enemy lines slowly began thinning even further. Finally the man who’d hidden behind his allies could be seen clearly. Our small group of six were all in various states of exhaustion. I was panting; a few small scrapes and bruises littering my body. Frederick was mostly fine save for a small scratch on his cheek that had been caused by a bit of rubble, and Lissa was completely unharmed. My brother was leaning up against the wall of the bridge panting as blood ran down the side of his face staining his white locks. Some blood ran down the hand that clutched the sword he’d taken off the brigand we’d seen upon entering this town. Just beyond him Chrom was standing slightly hunched over as the cuts along his arms bled freely. His deep blue gaze fixed on the man who seemed to be in charge of the unorganized mass we’d fought.

Akiri was a little farther off, so I couldn’t see if she was wounded or not. Despite the distance though it was clear that she was angry with the man standing before her. The man himself looked both upset and afraid as he met the assassin’s gaze.

_ Akiri _

I glared at the man, mentally smirking as sweat started beading on his forehead. Garrick was his name if I remembered right. He was the one who’d come to me with the job. The job that would have had me dispose of Chrom and the others if I hadn’t recognized them. I had business with this man.

“So,” I said marching up to the man who shuddered under my glare, “thieving shepherds I believe you said. Now either you are an illiterate fool, or you brazenly lied to me. Either way my terms are very clear and I do not tolerate being manipulated. Therefor I can’t exactly let you get away with that,” I paused for a moment letting him take in my words, “Now I’d normally allow you to live and go on your merry way in order to spread the word of what my terms are, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible this time.”

“Huh?” Garrick questioned raising a brow.

“Oh, confused are we?” I sent a sarcastic question back at him, “Well, that’s not surprising for a dullard like you. See you attacked the innocents of this town, which means I won’t be able to let you off lightly.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to wench?” the man growled. I quirked a brow, a smirk slowly spreading across my face.

“I believe I’m talking to the craven that hid behind his own men allowing them to be slaughtered; the man who also lied to Akiri of the Dark Rose Guild,” I spoke, “Now do you wish to die fast or slow. Personally I have no opinion though you don’t exactly deserve a fast death.”

“You b****!” Garrick howled lunging at me. I cursed mentally; he was faster than I thought. I was barely able to bring my sais up to block the fall of his axe. My arms went numb from the force of the blow. This man though a coward, was undeniably strong. I was so focused on the axe bearing down on me from above that I only knew he had another when a fiery pain shot up my side. I heard some shouts as the blood poured from the wound. I snarled, and using the adrenaline coursing through me to shove my opponent back. While he was off balance I surged forward and slashed his arm leaving a deep gash that gushed blood.

That attack though was very draining, and I stumbled back out of his range. Garrick seeing my weakened state leapt after me swinging his axe. I sluggishly brought my own blades up to fend him off, but even as I did I knew I wouldn’t be able to block. However, the man let out a guttural howl as a ball of electricity hit him in the chest. While Garrick was stunned Chrom shot forward and cut the man from shoulder to hip. Garrick let out a gargled noise as he fell forward; a pool of blood slowly forming underneath him. My vision was getting fuzzy at the edges, but I was aware of Lissa rushing towards me and casting a healing spell.

_ Robin _

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding as the wound in Akiri’s side closed. The assassin still looked rather pale, but at least she wouldn’t bleed out now. Though if Lissa had been even a moment late the brown haired woman wouldn’t have lived. I surveyed the surrounding area. The town was in utter shambles. These brigands were a sorry lot; attacking innocents like they did. Still I was relieved that most of the citizens looked to be safe if only a little worse for wear.

“Well, that’s the end of that,” I said relief evident in my voice. If the battle had gone on any longer I don’t know if we would’ve succeeded.

“Lucky for the town, we were close by,” Lissa said looking slightly haggard from all the healing she had done in the short span of the battle. I nodded in agreement, while Willow was more vocal.

“Sure was. I don’t even want to imagine an alternative,” my sister said a slight shiver shaking her frame. I had a feeling that I’d have to be ready to deal with the nightmares that I was sure Willow would have.

“Indeed,” Akiri said in a strained voice, though she was looking better than she had a few moments ago.

Lissa nodded and as though a thought had just struck her she spoke up, “But holy wow, Robin! You and your sister were amazing!”

Akiri huffed, then muttered under breath, “Yes, and I suppose I simply sat on the sidelines then,” this of course went unheard by Lissa.

“Swords, sorcery, _and_ tactics! Is there anything you can’t do?” Lissa asked starry eyed. I smiled uncertainly; unsure of how to respond.

“Well, I can’t juggle,” Willow said with a little laugh. I shook my head a slight chuckle escaping me. Lissa laughed a bit as well, and Chrom smiled as he spoke.

“Despite that none of you are helpless victims, that much is for sure,” he said. Frederick nodded turning his gaze towards me.

“Indeed,” the man said, “Perhaps you might even be capable of an explanation for how you came here?”

While his eyes were locked on me I was sure that he was speaking to Willow and Akiri as well.

“I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick,” I began, “And I cannot explain why only some knowledge has returned to me,” as I spoke I thought back to the battle. Throughout it all I’d somehow been able to size up the enemies with but a single glance; pinpointing their strength and weaknesses. And in doing so I was able to avoid most injuries, and keep Chrom from harm as well.

I met Frederick’s eyes as I continued, “But please, believe me. I have shared all that I know.”

Chrom placed a hand on my shoulder a look of comradery in his eyes, “You fought to save Ylissean lives,” he glanced at my sister and Akiri, “all of you. My heart says that’s enough.”

“And your mind, milord?” Frederick asked clearly not pleased, “Will you not heed its counsel as well?”

Chrom rolled his eyes slightly. It was clear that this was a conversation that the two had had many times. Which had me wondering who won most of these… slight arguments.

“Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with talents like Robin and Willow’s. We’ve brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician,” Chrom gestured to me then Willow, “Or such an able fighter? Besides I believe Robin’s story, odd as it might be.”

I wasn’t sure whether to be worried or grateful for Chrom’s words. I settle on the latter for the time being.

“Th-thank you, Chrom,” I said.

“We really appreciate it,” Willow said before gesturing towards Akiri, “But what about Akiri?”

The assassin jerked, clearly not expecting everyone’s attention to be sent her way.

“Huh? Oh, well…” Akiri trailed off looking at Frederick as if trying to figure out the best way to say what she wanted without causing offense.

“She’ll be coming along for questioning,” Frederick said. Strangely Akiri didn’t seem upset.

“I figured as much. Very well, I come along quietly and I promise not to try anything,” the brown haired woman said. The tone of her voice was very sincere and despite her occupation I was sure that she was being very truthful. Still Frederick wasn’t of the same mind as everyone else seemed to be.

“Forgive me if I remain unconvinced,” the man said. Akiri merely shrugged.

“Doesn’t bother me any,” Akiri said, “You can put shackles on me if it makes you feel better. But with or without I intend to go with you all so I can say my piece.”

“I don’t think restraints will be necessary,” Chrom said quickly, “especially when one is in your condition,” he gestured to her side that though healed had been bleeding heavily just moments ago. Akiri shook her head, disbelief written on her face.

“You’re far more trusting than I deserve,” the woman said earning what seemed to be a sound of agreement from Frederick, “I’ve been in worse situations than this, after all.”

“Be that it may,” Chrom said in a firm tone, “I still don’t think you mean us any harm. After all there were plenty of times that you could’ve turned on us during the battle, and no one would have been the wiser. But you fought by our side through it all.”

Akiri shook her head in disbelief once more, “Caution holds no grounds for you does it?”

“Unfortunately not,” Frederick said with a sigh, “Still all manner of wariness aside those men…”

Willow tilted her head, “What about them?”

“Did you notice, milord?” the brown haired man turned to Chrom, “The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent.”

“Plegian?” I asked confusion swimming in my voice, “What’s that?”

I received a few stares before those giving them to me remembered my situation.

“Plegia is Ylisse’s westerly neighbor,” Chrom explained, “They send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war.”

“How rude!” Willow growled, glowering. Lissa nodded in agreement with my sister.

“And it’s the poor townsfolk that suffer!” the blond girl said sympathy etched into her stance, “Totally innocent, and totally helpless…”

Frederick was quick to give the girl some reassurance, “They do have us, milady: Shepherds to protect the sheep. Do not be swept up in your anger. It will cloud your judgement.”

“Yes,” Akiri said with a slight nod, “and besides when push comes to shove you’d be surprised at how normal people rise to the occasion.”

“I know, I know…” Lissa said shaking herself a little, “Don’t worry. I’ll get used to this.”

_ Willow _

As soon as Lissa finished talking a man called out to our group, “Milord, please! You must stay the night! We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!”

“A most generous offer, sir, and no doubt your hospitality would be grand…” Frederick said at the same time as Lissa spoke.

“Dark meat only for me, medium well, and no salt in soup. I simply-” she was cut off as Frederick continued.

“But I’m afraid we must hurry back to Ylisstol,” the brown haired man said with a smile. Lissa started looking over at him.

“Wait, what?! We’re not staying?!” Lissa cried out, “But Frederick, it’s nearly dark!”

Frederick smiled again, “When night falls, we’ll camp. Eat off the land, make our bed of twigs, and the like…”

“Frederick?”Lissa’s voice held a pleading edge to it.

“I believe you mentioned you would be ‘getting used to this’?” Frederick’s voice held a slightly teasing tone to it. Akiri seemed to notice it too as she spoke up.

“That’s what I heard,” the assassin said; voice filled with mirth.

“Sometimes I hate you,” Lissa grumbled at Frederick, “And even Akiri’s getting in on it!”

My brother winced a little at Frederick’s manner, “You’ve quite the stern lieutenant there,” he observed. It was clear he was wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into.

“Yeah, well, _stern_ is one name for it. I can think of a few others!” Lissa said testily.

“I’m sure,” Akiri laughed.

Chrom chuckled a bit himself before speaking, “Frederick only smiles when he’s about to bring down the axe.”

“Duly noted… but um, are we talking figuratively or literally?” I asked a teasing tone to my voice. My brother rolled his eyes, but a smile still made its way onto his face.

“The former I’m sure,” Robin said.

“Right,” I said with a slight nod, “Understood.”

Frederick cleared his throat, “You do realize I _am_ still present.”

“Oh we realize,” Chrom said teasingly. My brother shook his head laughter hiding in his eyes, while Lissa and Akiri were a bit more vocal in there amusement.

“Indeed we do,” I couldn’t help but add. A few stray giggles sprung from my lips when Frederick sent Chrom and me a very unamused look.

“Milord remains as amusing as ever,” Frederick said his voice low and leveled, “Now then, shall we be going?”

“All right, all right,” Chrom said in a placating fashion, “Ready to go you three? The capital isn’t far,” as he spoke he walked over to a group of horses. He grabbed the reins of a chestnut, and swung up onto it with a grace that spoke of years of practice. Chrom turned his mount slightly, and easily pulled his sister up behind him. I started as a hand was held out to me, and glanced up to find my brother smiling down at me from atop a buckskin gelding. After returning my brother’s smile with a slightly embarrassed one of my own I took his hand, and allowed him to pull me up. Next to us Frederick had tied a beautiful black mare behind his own steed. Akiri’s hands were tied to the pommel of the saddle, but she didn’t seem to mind the treatment.

Chrom didn’t look all that pleased, but he didn’t say anything about Akiri’s current situation. Probably because he didn’t want to bug Frederick too much. Chrom looked between the members of our little group; silently asking if we were ready to leave again. My brother glanced back at me, and then at Akiri before turning his attention to Chrom.

“I suppose we’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Robin said. With that vocal confirmation Chrom began leading the way out of town, and towards the capital. As the hooves of the horses beat a rhythm on the ground I allowed myself to slip into the void of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah this is a long chapter but all of these chapters are gonna get long. I'm just telling you all right now... just in case you either like long chapters, or if you're not a fan. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Siblings, Amnesia, and Assassins and I'll see you all again for the next chapter.


	4. Unwelcome Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before I start I thought you all might want to know what my OCs (and technically Robin and Willow are OCs) - so here's a description for the three OCs currently present.
> 
> Robin- a young man around his early twenties. He has short; messy white hair that ends near the middle of his neck (in the back). Robin has an average skin tone, and is average in height for his age group. He has dark gray eyes. Willow’s twin brother. Born April, 1st
> 
> Willow- a young woman near her early twenties. She has long black hair braided along the sides and pulled into a high pony-tail. Willow has an average skin tone (leaning towards the pale side), and is average in height for her age. She has dark blue eyes. Robin’s twin sister. Born April, 1st
> 
> Akiri- a young woman around her early twenties. She has short dark brown hair. Akiri is slightly tan and is a bit shorter than average. She has hazel eyes. Akiri hails from a distant country, and is a top-notch assassin. Has an older brother name Hiro. Born September, 15th
> 
> Now with that out of the way I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_ Akiri _

We’d only been riding for a short while before the sun slowly sank below the horizon. It seemed to happen faster under the cover of trees and so close to the mountains. Still we’d made a decent amount of progress after leaving Southtown. Our little group finally came to a stop, and dismounted our horses; I had to wait for Frederick to unbind my hands in order to dismount, but he was quick to retie them once I was safely on the ground. It would have annoyed me, but I couldn’t fault him in his caution.

Lissa was grumbling the moment her feet hit the ground, “I told you- it’s already getting dark!” she smacked her neck her nose wrinkling slightly, “Ech! And now the bugs are out! Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when…”

“I’d be careful otherwise you might swallow one,” I said as Lissa kept ranting.

“Agh! Won goph in mah moph!” the blond started gagging. I shook my head as Willow covered her snickers as best she could.

Chrom spoke up a teasing tone in his voice, “Aw, come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character. Want to help me gather firewood?”

Lissa was still gagging, but suddenly stopped eyes wide, “…I think I swallowed it…”

“I did try to warn you, you know,” I said sighing a little.

“I don’t think you were fast enough Akiri,” Willow said a weird choking sound mixing in with her voice as she tried to keep from laughing at the blond.

I felt a half-smile curl onto my face, “You’re probably right, Willow.”

“Quit making it seem like a small thing! I just swallowed a bug!” Lissa cried sending a glare at Willow and me, “And I’ll pass on finding firewood, thanks,” she rounded on Chrom flailing her arms, “I think I’ve built _quite_ enough character for one day!”

Chrom held up his arms in a placating manner, though an amused smile was on his face. Lissa grumbled and turned away from her brother.

“We should probably think about food,” Robin spoke up trying to change the subject.

“I think so too,” Willow said, “‘Cause I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” her stomach growled as though it were in agreement with her.

Frederick nodded, “Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order. Now who wants to clear a campsite?”

“I’ll do it!” Willow said quickly, earning her a few odd looks from the rest of us, “What? The sooner it’s done the sooner we eat.”

Robin chuckled a little at his sister, “In that case, I’ll help.”

“I’d offer my assistance as well, but…” I trailed off lifting my arms up. Frederick sent a narrow eyed look my way. I held his gaze; I wasn’t trying to undermine his caution, rather I was trying to convey my understanding. I wasn’t a fool; I knew who his charges were.

_ Robin _

Akiri and Frederick kept their eyes locked for several minutes before the latter sent a small nod to the former. Apparently the two had reached some sort of unspoken understanding. I sent a look to my sister who hadn’t seen any of that transpire; she was busy clearing the ground of twigs and stones. My twin glanced in my direction when she felt my gaze on her. I sent a nod in her direction as I began to lend my aid. As Willow and I made the clearing acceptable Chrom headed off into the woods, presumably to do some hunting.

Frederick glanced between the forest, and the four of us still in the campsite. Finally he seemed to come to a decision and headed off after Chrom. I glanced at the other two as I continued assisting my twin. Akiri was sitting under one of the pines cross-legged. Her bound hands rested in her lap as she breathed slowly. Her eyes were closed, and if it weren’t for the slight stiffness in her shoulders I would’ve thought her asleep. Lissa walked over to the assassin; where she stood awkwardly for a moment.

“Do you need something?” Akiri asked, eyes never opening.

“I was just wondering what you were doing,” the blond replied.

“I’m meditating,” the assassin replied, “Meditation is a common practice where I’m from. Done properly it allows one to clear their mind, and hone their focus. It does take some practice, but it is actually very relaxing when done properly.”

Lissa hummed as she looked at Akiri thoughtfully, “So, you’re not from Ylisse then,” it was more statement than question.

“That is correct. I come from a distant land,” the brown haired woman shifted opening her eyes, “I wound up here after getting shanghaied, that was eight years ago now… approximately at least.”

Willow glanced over at the woman, “So you haven’t seen you’re home in eight years.”

Akiri’s hazel eyes drifted over to my sister, “Approximately eight years, but yes it has been quite some time since I’ve seen my homeland.”

“Do you miss it?” I found the words leaving my mouth as I continued to work. I hadn’t wanted to pry, but hearing the assassin talk about her home had made me curious. Even so, there was sadness buried in her voice; hidden well but there nonetheless. My question served no purpose other than confirming what I could already hear in her voice.

“When I meditate or let my mind drift I do, but every other moment I focus on other things my homeland is pushed from my thoughts,” Akiri answered, “What of you and your sister? Do you miss your home as well?”

I froze. Home, did Willow and I even have a home to return to?

_ Willow _

I watched as my brother stiffened at Akiri’s question. I could tell he was troubled by the thought of a home, and I couldn’t blame him. Robin’s memories of our past were gone; it was a miracle that he was able to remember me. I didn’t have much room to talk though since my memories were fuzzy as well. Akiri was looking at the two of us curiously.

“We’re not sure,” I finally answered for my brother, “Robin and I do not remember where we’re from. We woke up South of the town that we saved with no recollection of how we ended up there, or where we’d come from.”

“Amnesia,” Akiri stated.

Lissa let out a gasp of delight, “So you’ve heard of it.”

Akiri sent the younger girl a confused look, “Yes, there were a couple cases in the Guild; being an assassin comes with a lot of dangers. Why do you seem so surprised?”

“When I mentioned this earlier Frederick said it was, and I quote ‘a load of pegasus dung’,” Lissa huffed.

Akiri arched an eyebrow before speaking again, “Lissa, what he was probably referring to was Robin and Willow’s claim. It would be a little odd to find not one but two individuals, siblings no less, that claimed to not remember anything. I’m sure that he wasn’t trying to refute your hypothesis.”

“Even so…” Lissa trailed off glancing at my brother and I. Robin smiled.

“It’s fine Lissa,” he said, “I don’t fault Frederick for his caution. In his position I’m sure I’d feel the same. Maybe one day Willow and I will unlock our past, but until then we’ll endure the suspicious looks that come our way.”

I nodded in agreement, “Robin’s right. You don’t have to worry about us, though it is kind of you. Now, let’s focus on the important thing now,” I got several confused looks, “Clearing the campsite so we can eat when Chrom and Frederick get back.”

Lissa giggled as my brother shook his head fondness clear in his eyes. Akiri just looked on for a moment before she returned to her meditation. Lissa, Robin and I made small talk as we continued our task of clearing the ground of debris. I lost track of how long we worked, but it must have been a while since Chrom and Frederick had returned. The brunet male seemed pleased and impressed that we’d managed to clear the area. Chrom must have bagged something rather large, which would explain why he and Frederick had been gone so long. Lissa went to her brother and began speaking with him. I figured she was probably asking him where he’d been or something. Suddenly she jolted back away from him a look of disgust on her face.

I shared a confused look with my brother before shrugging. A flare of light lit up the clearing we resided in, and I glanced to the side to see Frederick sitting next to a cheery looking blaze.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say Frederick could use magic,” I murmured to my brother. He gave me a nod of agreement. My stomach grumbled a bit as Chrom brought some of his game to the fire, and began to roast it. Next to me Robin started to drool a little until I nudged him in the side; that earned me and embarrassed blush from my twin. Thankfully, for my and Robin’s stomachs the meal wasn’t long in coming.

~A Bit Later~

_ Akiri _

Chrom let out a contented hum as he sat back, “Mmm… It’s been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious!” he glanced over at his sister who seemed to be pouting, “What’s wrong Lissa? Dig in.”

“Pass!” the blond grumbled, “Gods, couldn’t you spear us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean, come on! Who eats bear?! You’re meddling with the food chain. Right, Robin… Willow?” she glanced over at the other set of siblings, “…Uh, you guys?”

My gaze traveled over to the two who were busily eating their own portions of bear. Obviously the two had been very hungry. That had me wondering how long they’d gone without eating. Lissa grumbled at the lack of response from the two.

“You know, it’s actually not; messing with the food chain that is,” I said offhandedly causing Lissa’s head to whip towards me, “Depending on the species a bear might eat more plants than meat. And normal people do eat bear, though it’s definitely not as common as other things. In any case,” I glanced back over at the twins, “if you’re hungry enough you’ll eat anything; as those two are demonstrating.”

Lissa let out a sigh, “I suppose you’re right, Akiri. A person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days…” her voice went quiet. I figured that everyone was realizing the implications of my and Lissa’s words.

“Just eat it, Lissa,” Chrom said distracting us from the situation involving Robin and Willow, “Meat is meat.”

“Since when does meat smell like old boots?!” Lissa cried, “Wait, I take that back – boots smell better!”

I had to agree; bear really did not smell appetizing at all, “True, it doesn’t smell all that great but it is food.”

“And every experience makes us stronger milady,” Frederick said nodding in agreement to my statement, “Even those we don’t enjoy.”

The blond sent a narrow eyed look at the brunet, “Really? Then why don’t I see _you_ eating, Frederick?”

The man started and I thought for sure I could see a sheen of sweat break out on his forehead, “Me? Oh well… I’m not hungry,” Frederick said not very convincingly, “I… I had a large lunch! Yes, quite.”

“You don’t seem so sure of yourself,” I said arching a brow. I knew it was a lie after all we spent the majority of the afternoon protecting Southtown. That of course meant we hadn’t had time to eat.

“Akiri’s right Frederick!” Lissa shouted at the man. The two argued back and forth and I could see that Chrom was just as amused by this as I was. Smiling I allowed the noise to fall into the background as I slipped back into my meditative state.

~That Night~

_ Chrom _

The night was peaceful for a long while. Indeed things were calm until it was nearly dawn. Then the peace was shattered as the ground shook; it wasn’t enough to cause a panic, but it did cause me to shoot up blindly reaching for Falchion. A low rumbling noise followed the tremor. I glanced around the clearing, but nothing had changed since we’d all fallen asleep last night. Robin and Willow lay side by side; the white haired man’s arm draped protectively over his sister. Frederick was leaning up against a tree near Akiri. The brunet woman was unreadable even as she slept, though she did seem more relaxed and peaceful. Lissa lay close to me, and I tried my hardest not to wake her as I stood. Unfortunately, I wasn’t careful enough.

My younger sister sat up yawning, “What’s wrong, big brother?” sleep was heavy in her voice as she looked up at me with bleary eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, but…” I trailed off glancing around me again, “something is amiss…”

“Define ‘something’,” Lissa said more awake. Confusion was prominent in her eyes, but she was still able pull herself together and look around us.

“I’m not sure… I think I’ll have a look around,” I said as I place a comforting hand on my sister’s shoulder. I started to walk out into the forest when Lissa’s hand latched onto my arm. She had a determined look on her face. Before I could ask what she wanted she answered.

“Not alone, you won’t!” I could tell Lissa wouldn’t be moved, “I’m coming too.”

I let out a chuckle, “Thanks, Lissa.”

As my sister and I walked away from our sleeping companions I thought I felt eyes on me. However, I felt no hostility from the gaze and so continued after Lissa.

_ Akiri _

I watched as Chrom and Lissa left the clearing. I’d heard their conversation, and I had to agree with Chrom’s unease.

_‘I should probably go after them…’_ I looked from one side of the clearing to the other; the wrongness of the situation hit me the longer I observed the night, _‘Something is really off about this night.’_

With that I stood and headed off after the two. I grumbled lowly at the awkward movement I’d had to make in order to do so thanks to the ropes. As I entered the treeline I decided to keep out of sight of the two unless it became necessary for me to intervene.

_ Chrom _

Lissa and I had come a ways from the clearing. The silence was deafening, and though it was nearing dawn it was very dark. Lissa’s voice broke through the quiet, echoing my thoughts.

“It sure is dark,” my sister said; voice low, “…And quiet. Where did the birds go?”

It wasn’t just the birds. There was nothing, not even bugs. The sense of foreboding hanging over me grew stronger as I warily looked around the area my sister and I stood.

“Something is wrong here…” I mumbled. As soon as I finished speaking the ground heaved underneath me. Trees fell, and a low groaning reached my ears.

_ Akiri _

As the ground pitched and rolled underneath me, only my many years of training kept me upright. Still it was a struggle to do so. The earth seemed to moan as trees fell left and right. For a moment I forgot about the siblings I had followed out here. However, Lissa’s voice brought me back to the present.

“Chrom!” the blond’s voice was full of fear. She clutched onto her brother as the ground continued to heave. Chrom pulled his sister closer, keeping her upright.

“Gods, what-” he cut himself with his own grunt as he struggled to remain standing, “What is this madness?! Lissa, stay close!”

The tremors grew stronger, and suddenly beyond the siblings and orange glow lit up the pre-dawn darkness. As the glow grew stronger the earth creaked as more trees fell.

“Lissa, run,” Chrom’s voice was loud over the pained cry of the earth snapping me back to reality, “I mean it go!” he gave his sister a slight push remaining in place for a moment. When the ground lurched violently once more he took off after his sister. I wasn’t far behind as I did my best to keep the siblings in my line of sight. Suddenly there was an awful cracking sound from behind us, and as I hazarded a glance behind I felt a thrill of fear run down my spine. A huge portion of land shot towards the heavens as lava gushed from the gaping wound the earth had received. Chunks of flaming rocks hurtled towards the three of us as we continued to run. I was forced to change course angling to the right when I heard Chrom’s voice again.

“Hey! This way!” he called out to Lissa. There was a slight drop in the land, but the siblings didn’t hesitate to leap to the safer area. That left me no choice but to follow. I landed awkwardly, but quickly shot up and after the two siblings. We ran for a little while longer until the worst of the destruction had been left behind. Chrom panted before straightening out and sending a concerned look back the way we came. Lissa was still hunched over, but she lifted her head, likely to say something to her brother when her eyed suddenly went wide.

She jolted upright and raised a shaky hand up to the sky; index finger pointing at some strange disturbance, “Chrom, what is that?”

Her brother followed her finger to what it was pointing at, but he couldn’t answer. I, myself, had no idea what to make of the strange swirl of energy. Suddenly, the energy pulsed outward and something akin to an eye appeared in place of the vortex that had once been there. Symbols hung in the sky around it, but my observations were cut short when some things fell from the strange gateway, could it be considered that, in the sky. Two of the things landed close to us, though more moved in the shadows away from us. All had jerky movements, and when the two that had landed near us fixed their gazes on us it was clear they weren’t human, not any more at least; their eyes glowed red and held no emotion at all.

“Lissa, you better stay back,” Chrom said eyed never leaving the creature before us. Lissa nodded slowly stepping back. At that moment the strange creatures charged; they were faster than I’d thought. The first leapt up, ax in hand, and came down at Chrom. I watched as he expertly avoided the blow and sliced into his foe. However, much to our shock the creature still lived. Its head twisted completely around, bones cracking in protest though it was clear the monster felt nothing. Before it had a chance to attack again Chrom leapt up and, as he came down, plunged his sword into the creature where its heart should be. The monster let out a gurgling sound before turning into a strange black energy.

Suddenly Lissa let out a scream catching Chrom’s attention as well as my own. I mentally cursed myself for paying attention to Chrom alone. In doing so I’d forgotten about the second creature that had come through the gateway.

“Lissa!” Chrom cried out racing towards his sister. I wasted no time in rushing after him. I knew that neither of us would make it to Lissa on time. The blond’s back hit a rock formation behind her; trapped she weakly lifted her staff in an attempt to block the beast’s attack. Dimly I was aware of the thump of something hitting the ground behind me, but I pushed myself to move faster ignoring it. The ax lifted, and the creature swung. But instead of a cry of pain or the sight of Lissa lying lifeless on the ground there was a clang of metal on metal and a stranger protecting Lissa. For a moment Chrom and I paused as we took in sight before us.

“Help!” the voice of the newcomer snapped the two of us back into action.

“Right,” Chrom let out a roar as he charged the monster, which caused it to look towards him. This had it let up on the stranger, who wasted no time in pushing the beast away. Using the same momentum our ally spun and slashed through the creature at the same time as Chrom. The beast turned into the same black energy at the other. My companion then turned towards the new arrival.

“Quite an entrance,” Chrom said, “What’s your name?”

The individual turned towards Chrom a mask obscuring their face. There voice had given nothing away of their identity, and neither did their clothing. Instead of answering the stranger just pointed the way we had come. It was then that I thought of the others. Chrom must have been of the same mind, since after making sure Lissa was okay he headed off in the direction the stranger had indicated, with the latter following. I glanced around the area for a moment before following the other three. As I ran after them some thoughts raced through my mind.

_‘Just what is going on here? First an earthquake, not uncommon, but this one was rather bad. Then some weird gateway or portal thing appears in the sky and drops monsters into our midst. And now we have some mystery man that seems to be an ally, for now, shows up out of nowhere. Did he fall out of the sky too? And if so, can we really trust him?’_ for now I had no answers to my questions. I could only hope that we could deal with the storm I was sure was to come.

~Near Some Old Fortresses~

_ Willow _

It was a testament to how tired I was that I nearly slept through the rumbling of the Earth; thankfully I didn’t actually. When I jolted into a sitting position I found that I wasn’t the only one concerned with the current situation. Robin was looking anywhere and everywhere trying to find out where the source of this catastrophe was coming from. And then Frederick seemed worried about not only that Earth’s shuddering, but the whereabouts of Chrom and Lissa. Not only was the other pair of siblings missing, but Akiri was nowhere to be found either.

The three of us silently agreed that find the others of our party was the first order of business. That in mind we made our way through the forest. We broke through the edge of the trees just in time to see Chrom and Lissa traversing the open ground towards an odd stone formation. Having found two of the missing three Robin Frederick and I hurried over to the siblings; Frederick reached them first as his horse had been the only one that hadn’t run off.

“Milord! Milady!” he called out to the siblings, “Are you hurt?”

Lissa started a terrified look in her eyes before relaxing, “Frederick, Robin, Willow!” her shout carried relief, but as her eyes passed over the three of us a puzzled expression came over her face. Before she could say anything I spotted something in the distance; it shambled out in the open, movements jerky. A moment later I realized it wasn’t alone. More of the strange inhuman creatures milled about in the open bathed in the red glow of fire.

I couldn’t stop the question the bubbled up out of me, “Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?”

Chrom shook his head, “They’re not from Ylisse, I can promise you that,” he seemed just as reviled by these creature as my brother and I. Even Frederick had a look of disgusted on his usually, at least from what I’d seen so far, stoic face. Footsteps had the lot of us spinning around, though they hadn’t been the jerking steps of the unholy creatures out beyond us.

“I’ve never seen them in any other land either,” Akiri said as she walked up to us, “Leastways not the lands I’ve been to.”

“So, this is where you’ve been,” my brother said.

“You followed me?” Chrom asked. From his expression he hadn’t known that the assassin had been following him. It clearly showed that Akiri wasn’t to be underestimated; which could be a boon or detriment to us depending on whether or not her allegiance shifted.

Akiri nodded, “I’m a light sleeper, and the night didn’t feel right so I wanted to make sure you and Lissa were alright. Though I don’t know if I’d have been much help,” the brunette held up her hands, though she still didn’t seem upset by her treatment.

Frederick let out a breath of relief, “No one is injured, then? Thank the gods…”

“Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn’t for him, I’d been…” she glanced around looking for someone but it was clear that this ‘masked man’ wasn’t around now, “Hey, where did he go?”

“We can worry about him later,” Frederick ever the voice of reason said, “ _After_ we put these,” he gestured to the strange beings milling about, “things… to the blade. Eyes open, now. We know nothing about this enemy.”

Chrom accented his agreement with a nod, “Right.”

Frederick then turned to Akiri, “Akiri… against my better judgement I’m going to unbind you, but only so no one concerns themselves with your wellbeing during the fight.”

“I understand,” Akiri said her voice revealing nothing of how she felt. Instead she held her arms out to Frederick who in turn deftly undid the knots holding the woman’s wrists together. Akiri rubbed the slightly red marks adorning her wrists before taking her unusual knives back from the brunette male. From the corner of my eye I saw my brother looking intently at the rock formations we’d come upon. Something akin to understanding flashed across his face.

“Hmm? Are those…” Robin hummed. Frederick followed my brother’s gaze and nodded.

“Abandoned forts, yes,” the most cautious of our group said.

“They’d provide good cover, wouldn’t they Robin?” I questioned my twin. From my standpoint they’d be a good hiding place, but the closest one to us looked rather decrepit so it was possible that I was wrong.

Robin nodded, “Yes, they would,” and I mentally congratulated myself, “Plus the defensive position they’ll allow us would be useful. We should take shelter in them whenever possible.”

“The advantages in battle would indeed be distinct,” Akiri spoke up giving the fort an approving look, “In fact luring those foul creatures to said forts would give us an even bigger advantage, especially for our mages.”

“I get it,” I said and I really did, “Robin and I can fire at hem from above while the rest of you engage them in close quarters combat,” I could see the stunned stares from the others directed at me, “What, I’m not as good as my brother, but I learned a thing or two about strategizes from him,” I huffed.

“Honestly, I never would have guessed that you listened to me,” my brother said, “At least not in that area.”

I couldn’t help but pout a little, “Well, know you know. Anyways what’s our plan?”

Robin hummed in thought before speaking, “Chrom, Lissa, Willow and I will head to the fort closest to us and set up a defensive position. Meanwhile Frederick and Akiri will flank our enemies driving them to us and taking out any stragglers.”

A grin, nearly unnoticeable appeared on Akiri’s face, “Alright, then I’ll take the ones to the West.”

“That leaves the one to the East to me,” Frederick said.

Chrom took in the determined looks on everyone’s face before speaking, “Then let’s move.”

The group of four, that I was a part of, split from Frederick and Akiri. The former mounted his horse and headed into the trees; likely to come up from behind the inhuman creatures and drive them towards us. Akiri seemed to all but disappear as she stepped into the treeline and headed West. Chrom led the rest of us to the fort that had been closest with Robin by his side. I stayed back next to Lissa to offer her some protection in case those monsters came at us before we reached our defensible position. Thankfully, nothing approached us and we reached the fort safely.

Once there Robin had Chrom help him fortify the building as best they could; mostly they just put stones in any area that we wouldn’t be able to defend. At the same time he had Lissa and I head up to the rampart in order to keep watch while they worked. Thankfully, they were done before anything happened. Once that was done Robin had Chrom stand by the entryway they hadn’t blocked before he himself joined Lissa and I. With Lissa being our only healer and having no weapons to fight with my brother had the blond ducking behind the protective parapet that surrounded the rampart. Then we were forced to wait.

~West of the Fort~

_ Akiri _

I’d crept along a good distance keeping a careful eye on the evil beasts shambling about in the distance. I figured I’d gone far enough and was prepared to break cover when a woman with short red hair burst through the trees astride a white stallion. I turned my attention from the way she came to see another horseman on her trail, though he was still a ways away. Knowing that the other would soon catch up I turned my attention back to the woman who had stopped just out of the trees and seemed to be agitated.

She growled, “Captain Chrom! Wait! I’m coming! …Agh, I knew I shouldn’ta left ‘em,” a few of the unholy beasts heard her and she cursed, though they didn’t make a move towards her, “Alright, you ash-faced freaks! Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first? I know just the spot for it: shoved right up your-”

She was interrupted by the arrival of the other horseman, “Hold, milady!”

The woman paused and turned to look behind her. Clearly this man with pale blue-green hair was not someone she knew by the confused look in her face. I decided to observe this strange meeting, since if this woman knew Chrom it would be in the best interests of everyone to help her if she needed it; though being honest I was pretty sure that she’d need no one’s help.

The man continued confidence oozing from him, “Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty, such as yourself, need wage only love.”

“…The h*** are you?!” the woman growled. I found myself snickering at the poor fellow; the woman was clearly a warrior and I was sure that his words would cause a problem soon.

The man undeterred replied with a chuckle, “Is the lady intrigued? Of course you are – it’s only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history’s greatest stage!” my laughter grew as I watched the woman’s expression become a combination of bored and annoyed, “The man who puts the ‘arch’ in ‘archer’! My name, dear lady, is Vi-”

“Sorry, Ruffles – no time for this,” she turned forwards lifting her lance above her head, “Onward!”

I was surprised that the hysterics of my laughter didn’t alert the two strangers to my presence. Things only got worse when the man continued.

“Virion! …Er, my name. It’s Virion,” the now dubbed Virion noticed that the woman had made to continue on, “W-Wait! Where are you going? Pray, at least tell me your name!”

The woman rolled her eyes but humored the archer, “I’m Sully,” she paused before adding, “and I’m a Shepherd.”

“‘Sully’! How divine!” Virion hummed, “A starkly beautiful, as befits its owner, truly. Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?”

I had to lean against a tree as my body shook with mirth. This entire situation was absurd. Had this man no common sense? Even so, I couldn’t help but be amused by what I was witness to.

“Will I what now?” Sully asked incredulous, “Oh wait, I get it… This is a joke. And when I put my boot through your face – that’s the punch line.”

Virion to his credit didn’t seem the least bit perturbed, “I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming. ‘Tis common! So please, don’t feel pressured to answer right a-”

“How’s _this_ for an answer?!” Sully roared as launched a kick at the man. She didn’t hit his face, but the air was knocked from him as her foot landed squarely in his gut. In fact the kick was so strong that it took Virion clear from his horse, which promptly ran back the way it had come.

“OOF! G-Goodness, but those shapely legs certainly can kick, can’t they,” the archer groaned, “P=Please milady! Allow me to accompany you, at least! Mine is a cold, empty world without you. I shall be your most willing servant, and you, in turn, will give my life purpose…”

Did this man never stop? Clearly, he didn’t; failure must not have been in his dictionary. It was also clear that Sully was just as tired of his antics as I was.

A sigh of resignation left the red-head, “Fine… Anything to shut you up,” she muttered the last part, “What? Stop staring at me like that!”

I decided to take pity on Sully as I stepped from the treeline. Once she saw me her entire posture shifted from neutral to on-guard. It was clear that while she was annoyed with Virion she didn’t view him as a threat, whereas I was seen as someone to be watched. And I couldn’t really argue; I was dangerous, though only to my enemies. I kept my hands in Sully’s view and pointedly ignored the archer before I spoke.

“Excuse me, Sully was it?” I asked.

She narrowed her eyes but nodded, “Yeah, whatta ya want?”

“You’re a Shepherd right?” I earned another nod, “If you’re looking for Chrom he’s in a fort East of here with others.”

“And you know this because…” I could clearly hear he suspicion, but I couldn’t fault her.

Still I replied truthfully and made sure she could tell I wasn’t intimidated by her, “I’m a part of that group. Anyways I’m supposed to be driving these unholy creatures towards the fort; a trap that will allow us to deal a heavy blow against them. The fort should offer some protection, but they may still need help.”

“I think I get ya,” Sully said and I thought I caught approval in her gaze, “I’ll head there with Ruffles here. What’ll you do?” she asked this as she leaned down and lifted Virion from the ground and onto her horse. I snickered at the stunned expression on the man’s face. Sully herself looked amused too.

“I’ll complete the mission I’ve been given,” I answered with a grin, “But don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of me.”

That said Sully and Virion were off. I watched them for a moment before they disappeared from my sight and then I moved on myself.

~Back at the Fort~

_ Chrom _

The sound of hooves had me on edge as they drew closer to the fort. Had Frederick already drawn the beasts in? However, the rider, or riders as it were, weren’t Frederick at all. Instead I found that the one steering the horse was Sully. She’d been travelling with our group, but I’d sent her off to scout ahead.

“Sully?” my question drew her attention, “Where’d you come from?”

“Does that really matter right now Captain?” Sully sent back.

I conceded her point, “I suppose not,” I then gestured to the stranger she’d brought with her, “And who’s that with you?”

“An ally…” her face scrunched up and I had to wonder what he’d done to get on Sully’s bad side, or at least her annoyed side, “I think.”

As she spoke Robin walked over to us. His gaze was evaluating as it ran over Sully and her companion. He nodded as though pleased by what he saw.

“You think?” Robin questioned Sully’s statement from before, “Well, if he’s willing to help out I think we’d be willing to have him,” the tactician turned his gaze to the archer, “You’re an archer, right?” the question was mostly rhetoric but the man still nodded, “Come with me; my sister and I have taken posts on the upper level of the fort in order to handle our foes from above.”

The two then walked away with Robin talking animatedly with the archer; likely explaining our plans. I could see Sully’s eyes following the tactician’s movements. I knew she was evaluating him, as Robin had done to her, but what her verdict was wasn’t clear yet.

“Another ally Captain?” she asked me.

I nodded, “To an extent. He’s another Shepherd actually; him and his sister,” my thoughts turned to the Akiri, “There’s another that might make a good addition if she can make it past Frederick.”

Sully laughed and a grin made its way to her face, “If she’s the one that I met earlier I don’t think she’ll have much trouble with him.”

“You’re probably right,” I said with a laugh myself.

~On the Rampart~

_ Robin _

The archer, whose name was Virion, had been more than willing to help out; a fact that I attributed to the fact that Willow and Lissa were also with me. Still, any help we got was appreciated. It hadn’t been long since Frederick and Akiri had left to herd the beasts to this place, but the waiting was unbearable; that was expected though. I found my eyes scanning out over the distance looking for any indication of our allies return. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime the shambling figures of our enemies came into view.

“Chrom,” I called down to the man, “They’re on their way!”

He nodded up at me to show that he’d heard my call. Then he and the woman with him went to guard the most easily accessible entrance to the fort. As the creatures drew closer, step by shambling step, it became clear just how grotesque they were. A simple glance told me that dark magic was at work; nothing living should appear as these things did.

“Get ready,” I said to Willow and Virion, “They’re almost in range.”

My sister and the archer were immediately at my side. Willow held her fire tome in her hand; reading herself to cast. Virion loosely held a knocked arrow as he gazed out at the creatures coming towards our position. When the first beast stepped into range I lifted my tome, and sent a bolt of electricity barreling towards it. The thing fell to the ground and disintegrated. Virion followed my example and loosed an arrow at another of the approaching foes. Not to be out done, of course, my twin sent a ball of fire straight at yet another of the monsters; though it seemed like luck had favored her as the beast she struck flew back into another setting both ablaze.

For a while the three of us above were able to deal with the foes on our own, but inevitably a few slipped past us. But those that did were met with the steel of Chrom’s sword, and iron of the woman’s lance. There was a moment when I thought we might be in trouble but the sudden arrival of Frederick assuaged my fears. His horse bravely charged the unholy things, and those that weren’t trampled were met with a flash of his spear. Then it happened, quite suddenly, that Frederick was surrounded. I couldn’t help the worry that flooded my being; the man was a formidable warrior but even the mightiest fighter could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Then from the side a figure leapt over the beasts, and landed softly on Frederick’s mount.

I nearly called out, but a flash of silver cut the head clean off of one of the monsters. The person crouched behind Frederick could only be Akiri. The assassin guarded the Frederick’s back all the while balancing on a moving horse. If I hadn’t already seen what the woman was capable of I would’ve been surprised by her skill; as it was my admiration of the Akiri’s dexterity increased exponentially. With the crowd around him effectively dealt with Frederick, with Akiri still balanced behind him, rode to Chrom’s aide. And then, it was over. The last of the unholy monsters fell and turned into a strange black energy; it was as if they’d never been here in the first place. In fact if it wasn’t for my exhaustion and the still burning forest around me I might have thought the whole thing a dream.

“Robin, was that the last of them?” Chrom’s voice behind me startled me out of my thoughts. I nodded in reply.

“Then the day is ours,” the man I was starting to consider a friend said. He gestured for me to follow him. At the bottom of the stairs we found a stranger wearing a mask waiting for us.

~The Fort~

_ Akiri _

The strange masked man from before had reappeared after the battle just after Sully and Virion had gone off on Chrom’s orders. Something about him set me on edge; I didn’t feel threatened by him, but there was something that had me observing him closer. He held himself with poise and dignity, and there was a purpose behind his every action. Frederick exchanged a look with Robin as the tactician descended from the ramparts with Chrom. Whatever, unasked question the knight had for Robin seemed to have been answered.

“It seems all the creatures have been vanquished,” Frederick said and undertone of relief mixed in voice, “This young man took care of the rest,” he gestured to the mysterious individual. The boy himself said nothing. I had seen him at the edges of my vision cutting down monster after monster.

Then Lissa spoke up, “Um, I never got to thank you… for before. So… thank you,” the blond said shyly, “You were very brave.”

“You saved my sister’s life,” Chrom had a grateful smile on his face, “My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?”

There was a pause as the boy considered what to say before he finally spoke, “You may call me Marth.”

The name held no really meaning to me, though I’d heard mention of it before throughout my travel in Ylisse. However, the others, besides Robin and Willow, seemed to know what the stranger was talking about.

“Marth? After the heroic king of old?” Chrom mused, “You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?”

Marth easily deflected the question, “I’m not here to talk about me,” the boy’s posture shifted as a determined frown made its way onto his face, “This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned.”

That said the boy began walking away just as Lissa spoke, “Huh? What’s teetering where now?” by the time she’d finished speaking the boy was gone, “Hey, wait!”

I smiled sympathetically at the blond, “Too late Lissa, though I’m curious about what that _Marth_ meant as well,” and truly I was. The way he’d said it; he truly believed that the world was in danger. I knew better than to trust a person’s word, but he had jumped from a strange magical gate in the sky so I decided not to write off his words just yet.

“Not much for conversation, is he?” Robin asked an amused smile on his face. I chuckled slightly.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Willow’s word were tinged with humor as well. Though I could tell that she and her brother thought Marth’s words strange just as I did; strange and disturbing.

“It appears his skills lie elsewhere,” Frederick said a contemplative look on his face, “I wager we’ll hear his name again…”

I had to agree so I muttered under breath, “I have a feeling you’re not wrong.”

The brunette spoke again, “But for now I’m more concerned about the capital,” which I couldn’t fault him for since if those monsters appeared here then it was possible that they had appeared elsewhere in the halidom as well, “We should make haste. Akiri-” he turned to me just as I lifted my arms up wrists together.

“I kind of figured you’d want to take precautions again…” I trailed off when I noticed the look I was being sent, “Um, why are you looking at me like that?”

A chuckle escaped Frederick as he replied and I felt a burning heat spread across my face, “Because I was merely going to apologize. I have erred in my judgement of you. It is clear that your intentions were never to harm Milord or Milady,” then his stare turned stern, “However, I still insist you accompany us to Ylisstol.”

“Well, I was already planning on joining you; now more than ever,” I said gesturing to the empty clearing where we’d just fought, “I’ve no wish to encounter those perverse creatures we just fought on my own. Of course I have some other business that I hope to take care of while I’m there; nothing to do with the Guild but important nonetheless,” I added the last bit once I received a few looks.

Ever the peace maker Chrom spoke, “Well, perhaps we’ll be able to help.”

“I think you might be able to Chrom,” I told him with a smile.

“That’s all well, and good,” Willow said from her place next to her brother, “But how are we to get to the capital in the first place? Our horses bolted when the earthquake happened.”

“Not to mention that Virion and Sully are still not back,” Robin emphasized his sister’s observations. Chrom smiled at the twins, and that’s when it hit me.

“You sent those two to find the horses,” I said, “If they are to be found at least.”

Even as I spoke the telltale sound of hooves, multiple, sounded from the distance. And in a pleasant turn of events Sully had found all of our mounts including, probably to her relief, Virion’s. Once everyone managed to sit astride their horses we were off. As the flames died out behind us I couldn’t help but feel that this was the beginning of a grand adventure, especially now that I wasn’t accompanying the Shepherds in chains.


	5. Shepherds

_ Robin _

It had been a two day ride to reach Ylisstol; we might have been able to make in one but we hadn’t wanted to tire the horses. Chrom had sent Sully and Virion on ahead somewhere. It seemed likely that they were to tell others about what had happened. As the rest of our group entered the capital on foot I found my eyes darting from one thing to the next. People milled about the streets; talking, shopping, even just walking through the city for the sake of it.

“So this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse,” I commented, not really sure what to say, “…I’ve never seen so many people!”

Willow then piped up teasingly, “That you remember at least.”

“Though you have to admit this place is certainly bustling,” Akiri spoke offhandedly as we continued on. I couldn’t deny the truth of her words, and neither could Frederick.

“It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods. I see no evidence of the great quake. It must have been limited to the forest,” there was obvious relief in the brunette male’s voice; clearly he’d been worried about the state of the capital, which I couldn’t fault him for. If the quake had reached this far… it would’ve been devastating to say the least.

“Well, that’s a relief!” Lissa said letting out a breath of relief.

Akiri hummed, “It was a two day ride here after all so the chances of the quake reaching this far were slim, though,” she glanced over towards Frederick and Lissa before continuing, “I will admit that it was a rather climatic disaster so I understand your concern.”

We continued on – Chrom leading the way as he, Lissa and Frederick seemed to be the only three that knew where we were going. I wasn’t too concerned with that fact; the city presented a new facet to the world for me, and a glance at my sister showed me that she was just as immersed in the city life as I was. I turned my gaze to the last member of the party, but as usual she proved hard to read, though she didn’t seem at all worried about knowing where we were heading. I considered asking Chrom but a small commotion caught my attention.

“Look! The exalt has come to see us!” an elderly man called out drawing more people into the already gathering crowd. Our group was pulled along as the people made a path for the woman and her entourage. I had to admit that the blond woman at the head of the procession – who could only be the exalt – was beautiful. Her hair, pulled into curls, framed her face. An interesting crown adorned her head, and as she turned her head towards my position I caught a glimpse of something on her forehead, which looked familiar but she turned again before I was able to get a better look.

Deciding to ignore the strange symbol for now I turned to Chrom and the others that were familiar with the capital, “The exalt is your ruler, yes?”

“Yes,” it was Frederick that answered me, “Her name is Lady Emmeryn.”

“Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?” I asked. Looking at the crowd I couldn’t see anyone that seemed upset by her presence, but I wasn’t so naïve to believe that you could trust a person based on appearances.

“Yeah,” Willow added to my point, “isn’t that dangerous? What if someone wished to do her harm?”

“The exalt is a symbol of peace – Ylisse’s most prized quality,” Frederick explained, “Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low,” the man sent my sister and I an even look, “Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then.”

“With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her,” Chrom expounded on Frederick’s words, “She’s a calming presence when some might call for war.”

Willow hummed, though it could tell she still didn’t like the situation, “I still think it’s reckless, but it is admirable of her.”

“Indeed,” Akiri agreed with the second part of my twin’s statement, “The Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her.”

“She’s also the best big sister anyone could ask for!” Lissa said with a smile.

I nodded, “Yes, I imagine…” then what the blond said actually registered, “Wait, what? She’s your… But wouldn’t that make you and Chrom…”

Akiri chuckled, “I was wondering when this conversation would happen.”

“It was a while in coming,” Frederick said to the assassin before answering my question, “The prince and princess of the realm, yes. You remember Chrom’s name and not this?”

“In our defense we’ve lost our memories… or most of them at least,” Willow huffed, “Plus you said you were ‘Shepherds’!”

Chrom smiled at my sister, though I thought I saw a spark of humor in his look, “And so we are… in a manner of speaking. We just have a _lot_ of sheep,” he gestured to the crowds in an inconspicuous manner.

“C-Chrom… I mean Prince Chrom!” I’d never – to my knowledge – felt so mortified; I’d been speaking with royalty as though we were on the same level, “Sire! Forgive my dreadful manners!”

“Just Chrom is fine,” the prince of the realm said, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice, “I’ve never been much for formalities,” I was still tense, and more than a little embarrassed, until I caught Chrom’s eye; there was a reassuring look within his gaze. I allowed myself to relax then, which had my friend smiling. For a moment nothing was said as Willow and I fully digested the fact that we’d been travelling with royalty for several days.

Finally Willow let out a breath, “The prince and princess…”

“That explains why Frederick tolerates the teasing, eh?” I looked over at the man in question.

“Indeed,” Frederick sighed, “Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm…”

Chrom chuckled at the knight’s – for clearly Frederick couldn’t be anything but a knight – mock suffering, “It looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?”

“It wouldn’t pose a problem would it?” my twin asked.

“Not at all,” Lissa chirped, “I’m sure Emm would love to meet you, Robin and Akiri!”

“Well, the business I have here should be discussed with the exalt,” Akiri spoke, “I was going to ask if I could get an audience with her if you hadn’t offered to take us there yourself.”

“You knew didn’t you?” it wasn’t so much as question as a statement that left my mouth. Nevertheless Akiri replied with a nod. I was tempted to ask her why she had withheld the information from Willow and I, but I figured there had to be a reason; what the reason was… that was the question. Deciding to question the assassin later I focused on following Chrom and the others to the castle.

~At the Castle~

_ Akiri _

It hadn’t taken us long to navigate the streets – crowded though they were – and reach the castle. The guards standing at the entrance to the grand building let us in with no problems. Chrom lead us through the halls bringing us deeper into the palace. Finally, we reach a pair of large yet elegant doors. The prince said a few words to the men standing watch on our side of the barrier after which the men saluted Chrom and opened the doors. The rest of us followed Chrom into the throne room, where his sister, Emmeryn, stood waiting for us.

“Chrom! Lissa!” the exalt’s voice held a note of happiness at seeing her siblings, “Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?”

Chrom smiled at his elder sister as he replied, “Well – we shouldn’t have any bandit problems for a while.”

“Wonderful,” there was clear relief in Emmeryn’s countenance, “And our people?”

“Safe as they can be, Emm,” Chrom answered, “But we’ll still need to watch our borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia.”

A white haired woman standing next to Emmeryn winced before speaking, “Forgive me, milord. My pegasus knights should have intercepted them.”

“No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the exalt,” Chrom was quick to reassure the woman.

“And besides, we had plenty of help!” Lissa chimed in with a not so subtle glance to Robin, Willow and myself. Emmeryn turned to look at the three of us with a grateful look gracing her features.

“Ah, you speak of your new companions here?” it wasn’t really much of a question; not when Lissa had made our presence very clear to the other assembled.

“This is Robin, his sister Willow and Akiri,” as he spoke Chrom gestured to each of us in turn; the three of us bowed in greeting, “They fought bravely with us against the brigands. I’ve decided to make them Shepherds.”

Emmeryn smiled at her brother before turning her gaze back to us, “It sounds as though Ylisse owes you three a debt of gratitude.”

“Not at all, milady!” Robin interjected quickly. He seemed slightly uncomfortable and definitely embarrassed by the thanks.

“We just did what any decent person would do,” Willow backed up her brother. I nodded in agreement. Even if the Garrick and his men hadn’t lied to me I still would have helped Southtown; the people there were innocent and couldn’t defend themselves properly. Frederick cleared his throat drawing me from my thoughts.

“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak,” Emmeryn gestured for the knight to continue, “Robin and Willow claim to have lost their memories, but it is only that; a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are brigands themselves or Plegain spies,” I felt his gaze on me then; he might have come to trust me but it was still his duty to report any possible threats, “Furthermore, Akiri is a member of the Dark Rose Assassin Guild!”

“Frederick!” Chrom hissed. That earned him a sharp look from his sister, while her guard, Phila, sent the twins and I a wary look; most of her ire was directed at me though.

“Yet you allowed them into the castle, Chrom. Do these people have your trust?” though she included the twins in her words Emmeryn was clearly looking at me. I couldn’t fault her; after all an assassin is an assassin.

Chrom sent his elder sister and even look as he replied, “Yes. They risked their lives for our people. That’s good enough for me.”

“Well then Robin…” Emmeryn hummed, “It seems you and your sister have earned Chrom’s faith, and as such you have mine as well,” I knew she had left me out of the equation due to my occupation; something Chrom didn’t seem pleased about. However, I ,myself, wasn’t upset by the turn of events. I’d expected as much honestly, but that didn’t mean I was going to leave now. After all I still had a matter I wished to discuss with the exalt herself.

“Milady,” Robin bowed; gratitude for Emmeryn’s trust clear in his actions. Willow did the same, but then a thought seemed to strike her.

“Wait, but what about…” I cut the dark haired girl off speaking softly.

“Don’t worry,” I said giving Willow a reassuring look, “I’ll handle my own affairs.”

Emmeryn turned her gaze to Frederick once more, “But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember that from time to time…” she finished with a bemused smile; clearly she knew of Chrom and Lissa’s teasing.

“They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace,” Frederick commented, earning sheepish looks from the younger two royals, before turning to Phila, “Phila, I assume you’ve heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?”

The woman nodded, “Yes, milord. They’ve been sighted all across Ylisse.”

Chrom and Frederick sent each other a concerned look. The sentiment was one that I shared. Those beasts were not natural in the slightest, and as such they’d been a little difficult to kill. If they’d already spread as widely as they had… I worried about the villagers and merchants.

“Chrom, we are about to hold council,” Emmeryn said as she noticed her brother’s look, “I was hoping you could join us.”

“Of course,” Chrom inclined his head to Emmeryn.

“I think that’s our cue, Robin, Willow!” Lissa said quickly as though afraid she’d be dragged into the meeting if she didn’t have anything to do, “C’mon, there’s a place I want to show you.”

With that the younger of the blond royals took her leave. Robin and Willow hastily bowed and followed Lissa out. Emmeryn’s mouth was curved into a slight smile of amusement as she gazed after her sister. When the four palace dwellers turned to head to the meeting I took that as my cue to speak.

“Before you go might I beg a moment of your time, Your Grace?” everyone paused and looked back at me.

“What do you, an assassin, have to say to Her Grace?” Phila’s tone was wary and I could tell she was trying very hard to keep her hand from her weapon, “And why should I not arrest you here and now? I’ve only held off in doing so as you assisted Prince Chrom and the people of Ylisse.”

“I merely wish to plead my case,” I said placating, “and if possible ask a boon. I promise, I will not take long.”

The white haired woman looked at me askance; likely due to me wishing for a favor, “Have you no shame? I-”

Emmeryn held up a hand giving pause to her guard, “Peace Phila. Akiri, was it?” I nodded in response, “I will hear you out.”

“That is all I ask Your Grace,” I sent the exalt a grateful look before continuing, “Firstly, I must admit that I indeed belong to the Dark Rose Guild, but at the time I joined I had no other option. Of course,” I looked pointedly at Frederick and Phila, “I do not mean to use this as an excuse for my past crimes.”

“Be that it may,” Chrom spoke, “those crimes are in the past.”

“Yes, I realize that Your Highness, but I stand by what I said. The truth of the matter is that I _have_ killed people,” I stressed the ‘have’ in order to make my point, “Though I’d like to believe that I’ve kept to the moral side.”

“Murder has no _moral_ side,” Phila scoffed.

“Perhaps not,” I admitted, “but I’ve never killed innocents or nobles. I take my time to observe my targets; to determine whether or not they are guilty, though in the case of nobles, good or bad, I do not kill.”

Emmeryn sent me a thoughtful look, “Might I enquire as to why you take these measures?”

“It’s simple really, Your Grace,” I answered, “Anyone with a grudge can lie about the one they harbor anger towards. As for the matter of the nobles… well, I’ll admit there’s a bit more selfish reason; the politics involving the death of a noble are not something I wish to deal with, especially considering possible bounties.”

“While that is all well and good, would you care to explain why you were around the outskirts of Southtown? I’ve been curious about the matter since we came upon you,” Frederick spoke. I could see in his eyes that he harbored some suspicions about my presence around the town.

“Very well, I shall answer your enquiry Sir Frederick,” I took a deep breath; this would either help my cause or obliterate my chances, either way I really had nothing to lose, “I was given a target – several targets really. But the man who hired me lied about the nature of these targets, and so once I realized I’d been duped I refused to carry out the mission.”

I could see the realization rush over Chrom, “Were your targets…”

“Yes,” I nodded, “I was sent to end the lives of you, Lissa and Frederick.”

“I’ll kill you where you stand!” Phila roared reaching for her spear. I held my position; running wouldn’t help and the woman was entitled to be angry with me. I had just admitted to being sent to target the royal family.

“Hold Phila!” Emmeryn commanded.

Phila whirled around looking at the exalt with confusion, “But, Your Grace-”

“I understand your anger Phila, but while Akiri was sent to kill them, my siblings and Frederick remain alive. Therefor there is no reason to slay her. However,” Emmeryn turned her attention to me then, “I am curious; why are you telling us this?”

“For several reasons, Your Grace,” I replied, “This is one of my many missions that has ended this way; I believe this to be the thirtieth time,” I added the last bit as an afterthought, “The Dark Rose Guild does not tolerate failure well. Indeed I’ve been lucky to survive this long. To return to the guild now would mean certain death; so, I had nothing to lose in telling you about my objective.”

“Then am I to assume this is where the boon you wished to ask for comes in?” Emmeryn enquired.

I nodded, “Indeed, Your Grace.”

“Very well, I shall listen to your request,” Emmeryn’s countenance was unreadable, though it was likely she was trying to figure out what I could possibly ask for and what her reply would be.

“The request itself is simple,” I began, “As I cannot go back to the guild – nor do I want to even if it were possible – I wish to remain in Ylisse. But not as a citizen,” I explain, “Instead I wish to offer you my allegiance.”

The silence was deafening. It was clear that not one of those present had expected me to say that. Now I just had to wait for Emmeryn’s response.

“If this is a trick,” there was a clear warning in Phila’s tone; one that promise pain should I be lying.

“No trick,” I said, “I’m being very sincere,” and I was; I hadn’t been more sincere in my life since before I’d been shanghaied to this land.

There was a thoughtful look on Emmeryn’s face before she spoke, “Very well, I shall grant you this boon. But you must understand, to offer me your allegiance means that you will serve me until the day comes when either you or I die.”

_‘I understand; I’ve made this vow before after all… a long time ago,’_ I knelt as unbidden thoughts flooded my head before speaking aloud, “I understand, Your Grace, and I accept the terms. As such until that day comes I swear by my honor that my blades will be at your service.”

“I accept your vow, now rise,” the exalt spoke; I slowly got to my feet, “Until further notice you will lend your skills to Chrom and his Shepherds; that means you will follow his orders as you would follow mine. Now Lissa should have taken the others to the garrison; go and explain the situation to them,” she then lowered her voice so only I could hear, “And please protect my siblings.”

“You have my word, Your Grace,” I responded. I bowed in the style of my homeland before turning and leaving the throne room. Once I was alone I let out a shaky breath; all my willpower had been put into making myself seem unconcerned with my fate. Truthfully, I’d been afraid of being imprisoned or killed but it was a risk I’d needed to take. Working for the guild hadn’t been something I wanted to do from the moment I joined, but as I told Emmeryn and the others I’d had no choice; my skill set was similar to an assassin’s and at the time those were the only skills I had – a different job wasn’t an option. Now, though, I wouldn’t have to worry about that; I’d still have to fight but now it would be more honorable, and I could honor my teachings.

Pushing away my thoughts I continued on to the garrison.

~At the Shepherds’ Garrison~

_ Willow _

After leaving the castle Lissa lead us through the courtyard and to a smaller, but no less impressive building. A few muffled voices drifted from inside, alerting us that we would not be alone. Lissa was not deterred in the slightest as she strode into the garrison with no pause. Robin and I followed her, and once our eyes adjusted we found that three others were already present. Closest to the door was a blond man lacking a shirt; his skin was tan and a leather band held it back from his face. Close by was a young woman with light brown hair of which a portion was pulled into a pony tail held in place by a decorative ornament shaped like wings; another bit of her brown locks framed her face on either side, held by pretty ribbons.

Farther back a girl around Lissa’s age sat enjoying a cup of tea. Her hair, blonder than Lissa’s, was pulled into curls two white bows tied in place, one on each side of her head. She held herself with poise, leading me to believe that she had a background of high standing; I figured I should pay more attention to peoples bearings after the whole incident with Chrom, though in my defense – and my brother’s – Chrom and Lissa didn’t carry themselves with the common air found in nobility.

“Here we are!” Lissa said; her voice had the blond girl turning to look our way, “The Shepherds’ garrison. Go on, make yourselves at home.”

The blond that’d already been in the garrison before we arrived rushed over to us as soon as Lissa finished speaking, “Lissa, my treasure! Are you alright? I’ve been on pins and needles!”

“Oh, hey, Maribelle!” Lissa seemed to have only just noticed the other, but she smiled at the other blond all the same.

“‘Oh, hey’ yourself!” Maribelle huffed, “I’ve sprouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!”

“Aw, you worry too much,” Lissa giggled, “I can handle a battle or two! …Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue…”

“Hey, squirt!” the blond man’s voice startled me when he spoke to Lissa, “Where’s Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without ol’ Teach and his trusty axe!” he finished with a grin; so, he was confident… likely to the point of over-confidence.

Lissa’s eyes shone with a mischievous light, “Oh, so you’re ‘Teach’ now, Vaike, is that it?” she giggled before continuing, “And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?” I couldn’t help the snicker that escaped my lips.

“Never doubt the Vaike!” the blond man said before what Lissa said finally registered, “…Wait, was that an insult?” I busted up; trying my hardest to keep the others in the room from hearing me. Thankfully, my mirth was drown out by the forthcoming question from the darker haired woman in the garrison.

“Beg pardon, but when might we see the Captain?” she asked.

Maribelle smiled, “Poor Sumia. She’s simply been beside herself with concern… Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training,” she sent Sumia a teasing look as she continued, “…She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded.”

“Aw, Sumia, that’s so sweet of you to worry about Chrom,” Lissa said with a laugh.

“Worry?” Sumia began panicking slightly an embarrassed air about her, “Well, I… He’s our captain and our prince – of course I’d worry!”

I smiled as Vaike spoke, “So, who’re the strangers?”

Lissa rolled her eyes but replied anyway, “No one’s stranger than you Vaike… But allow me to introduce Robin and his sister Willow!” she gestured to my brother and me, “They just joined the Shepherds. Chrom’s made Robin our new tactician and Willow’s no slouch either! You should see all the tricks they’ve got up their sleeves.”

“Oh yeah? Can they do this?” Vaike asked before letting out a belch.

“I’m sure I have much to learn in the belching arts, ‘Teach’,” my brother said with a chuckle.

“Boys,” I rolled my eyes, though with a fond air, “In any case, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

Maribelle huffed sending a glower at Vaike, “Ugh, Vaike! That was abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery?” the she rounded on my brother, “And, you Robin! Don’t encourage him! I’d hoped you were cut from a finer cloth; your sister has some hope at least.” Then with a final huff she turned and left. Robin was cringing, and I myself was trying to figure out what I should say to the girl.

“Don’t take it to heart, Robin,” Sumia said reassuringly to my twin, “Maribelle warms to people slowly.”

“Or burns too quickly!” Lissa giggled before becoming serious, “But yeah, just give her time.”

“Then I assume that agitated young lady I just passed was Maribelle,” Akiri’s voice made our group jump. The woman’s hazel eyes panned over each of us stopped at a corner of the room briefly, but when I glanced that way myself I saw nothing. I wasn’t able to ponder on the matter when my brother spoke.

“Akiri?” the questioning tone of his voice was more in part to him wondering why she was here, “Then did everything work out?”

“Yes, I am in service to Lady Emmeryn and she’s leant my aide to the Shepherds,” the assassin answered. It wasn’t exactly what my brother, Lissa or I were expecting but we were pleased nonetheless. I had to wonder why Akiri would pledge her loyalty to Emmeryn – not that the exalt was a bad person – but the brunette woman didn’t seem much the type for such a commitment.

Chrom chose that moment to walk in, a tease in his voice as he addressed Akiri, “Don’t forget, that means you have to do what I say.”

“I regret this decision already,” Akiri’s voice was even as she spoke, but for a brief moment I caught a flash of humor in her gaze.

“Ah! Captain!” Sumia spoke a dusting of pink on her cheeks, “You’ve returned! I was – I mean, we were so-” the poor girl was cut off as she suddenly tripped, though on what I wasn’t sure.

“Sumia! Are you alright?” the concern was evident in Chrom’s voice, “…Those boots of yours again?”

“No! I mean, yes! I mean…” Sumia sighed in defeat. Taking pity on the girl I offered her my hand. I could clearly see that she really liked the young man in charge of this little group, so it was doubly embarrassing for her to have fallen in front of him. I gave her the most comforting look I could before we both were forced to turn our attention to Chrom as he began speaking.

“All right, listen, everyone; in the morning, we’ll be marching to Regna Ferox,” the blue haired man said.

My brother sent him a questioning look, “Regna Ferox?”

“A unified kingdom to Ylisse’s north,” Sumia supplied, “Inhabited by barbarians, or so it’s said.”

“They’re more akin to warriors than barbarians Sumia,” Akiri said, “and proud ones at that – never would hire an assassin, I should know.”

“Yes, they are, and we’ll need their strength to quell this new menace,” Chrom said agreeing with Akiri’s point of the people of Regna Ferox being warriors, “Typically, the exalt, would request such aide in person. But given recent events…” he didn’t need to elaborate on the events he was speaking of, “Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital. So the task has been passed to us.”

“That makes sense,” I said in an offhanded manner, “plus if she were to go… someone could use that opportunity to strike at her or Ylisse.”

Chrom sent me a look of agreement before addressing those gathered as a whole, “Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any-”

“I volunteer!” Lissa cut her brother off before he could say another word.

“Me too!” Vaike echoed Chrom’s sister, “You’ll be needin’ ol’ Teach along for such a delicate mission!” I fought the urge to roll my eyes; the words ‘Teach’, ‘Vaike’ and ‘delicate mission’ had no cause to be used in a sentence together.

“I’ll go as well,” a man’s voice had everyone besides Akiri jumping, “…What? I’ve been here the whole time!” the stranger was wearing a large suit of armor. His hair was short and dark brown in color. Curiously his eyes seemed to be in a permanent squint. My main concern was how we hadn’t noticed him before, especially when he was standing where Akiri had looked earlier when she first arrived at the garrison.

“He has,” Akiri’s offhanded comment drew everyone’s attention, “been here the whole time, that is. And I’ll be tagging along with you as well – the exalt has placed me under your command after all.”

“I’m your tactician now,” Robin said as though that explained everything; which in a way it did, “and even if I wasn’t I’d go with you.”

I nodded, “Where my brother goes, I go.”

“I…” Sumia trailed off before steeling herself only to lose confidence before she said much else, “I, um…”

“Yes, Sumia?” Chrom prompted the young woman.

“It’s just that…” Sumia trailed off again before taking a deep breath to continue, “I’m not sure I’m quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I’d probably just get in the way.” Someone needed to have a talk with the girl about her self-confidence, or lack thereof. If it wasn’t dealt with soon I’d personally see to helping Sumia become more sure of herself… and maybe I’d play matchmaker too.

“Well, you could stay behind the main group, and if battle is met, just watch and learn?” Chrom acquiesced, “Your choice, of course. But some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield.”

“W-well, if you think it wise, Captain,” Sumia stuttered slightly.

Chrom sent her a reassuring smile, “Just stay by me and you’ll be fine.”

“Oh, yes!” red bloomed across Sumia’s face as she realized what she said, “I mean – Yes, sir, I’ll do that!”

With that our group disbanded with Chrom calling Robin to his side. The two left and I heard Chrom mention something about finding Frederick and speaking with him. I figured that they’d probably plan our route and strategy for both battle and negotiations. I was pulled from my thoughts when Akiri motioned for me to join her and Sumia.

“Did you need something Akiri?” I asked when I was in hearing range of the two.

“It’s not so much that I need something,” Akiri said, “but it is a matter of some importance. Sumia has offered to show us where we might wash up, eat and sleep.”

“That is rather important,” I said a slight bit of humor in my voice, “Thanks for offering to show us around Sumia.”

The girl smiled, “It’s the least I could do. You’re both Shepherds now, and I’m sure no one’s showed you around at all yet.”

“Well, you’re certainly not wrong about that,” I grinned. Sumia smiled again and began leading me and Akiri through the garrison. I glanced over at the assassin and found her looking intently at our guide. Before I could question her about it, she spoke in a low voice too low for Sumia to hear.

“Tell me you noticed her interactions with Chrom,” Akiri muttered getting a nod from me, “Then you must have noticed how she looks at him,” I nodded again, “I think I’ll observe her for a while; I want to know if it’s really love or misguided admiration.”

“I see,” I spoke my own voice hushed, “I hadn’t thought of that. When you find out let me know; if she really does love the prince she’ll need to be a little more confident.”

Akiri’s hazel eyes observed me before she nodded, “I’ll do that. And if you need any help, just let me know.”

“I will,” I said with a smile. With that the two of us fell into silence as Sumia led us on. I idly wondered if I’d be willing to leave tomorrow – I’d be sleeping in an actual bed tonight, the first I could really remember, and then I’d be back to sleeping on the ground for a while as we marched to Regna Ferox.

~The Next Day~

_ Robin _

Everyone that had volunteered had been awoken early, so early that only watchmen were walking the streets of Ylisstol. My sister was grumbling underbreath as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Some of the others were in similar states; the only ones that seemed completely unaffected were Chrom, Frederick and Akiri. Finally we reached the outskirts of the capital where Chrom called for us to halt. He counted heads, checking to make sure everyone that had volunteered was here. I found my eyes roaming over my companions as well.

Frederick stood near Chrom, surveying the rest of us alongside the prince. Lissa was standing with Akiri and Willow, who left my side without my knowledge, chatting away about something. Sully was gripping her horse’s reins in a white-knuckled grip; likely to keep from strangling Virion, who was attempting to sweet talk her again. In between Lissa and Sully’s groups was Vaike; he was swinging his axe lazily, clearly bored and wanting to be on our way. And off by herself was Sumia; plucking petals off a flower and speaking quietly to herself.

Our group wasn’t very large, but it would allow us an easier time of fighting should the need arise. I was already planning several strategies, and counter strategies with the group we had assembled.

Finally Chrom seemed satisfied that everyone was here, “Is everyone ready?” he received various forms of assent as some tried to wake themselves up fully, which were followed by groans at his next words, “We’ve a long march ahead.”

“W-wait for me!” a man’s voice called out. Everyone assembled turned to watch as a man with brown hair ran up pulling a horse behind him.

“Stahl?” Chrom questioned. Apparently he had expected this man to show up, though he didn’t seem upset by the others presence.

“Why am I the last to hear about this expedition to Ferox?” Stahl asked. He didn’t sound angry just curious.

Lissa gave him a shocked look, “Huh? Vaike was supposed to…” she trailed off throwing an exasperated look to the blond axe wielder, “Vaike! Did you forget to tell Stahl about our mission?

“The Vaike never forgets!” Vaike protested, “…I just don’t always remember, is all…”

“That’s what forgetting means,” Akiri deadpanned. Willow snickered from her place by the assassin’s side.

“Ugh… I swear, you’d forget your own name if you weren’t constantly saying it yourself,” Lissa groaned, then paused as a thought seemed to strike her, “Speaking of which, are you _sure_ you remembered your axe this time?”

“Hey! That was one time!” the blond man growled before adopting a slightly sheepish look, “…Okay, twice, but training sessions don’t count!”

Willow spoke, the questioning tone clear in her voice, “Is that a common occurrence with him?”

“From that conversation I’d say, yes,” I answered my sister.

“Anyway, I got it right here. Teach is loaded and ready for action!,” Vaike’s voice was filled with irritation but it was quickly gone as he turned to the new arrival with a grin, “Glad to have you along, Stahl, ol’ buddy!”

“That makes one of us. I was in such a hurry, I had to miss breakfast!” Stahl’s tone turned wistful as he continued, “There were muffins, and cakes, and… well, I can tell you about it while we march…”

“Your name is Stahl, right?” I wasn’t really asking per se; I was mostly trying to figure out how to incorporate the other into the strategies I’d already thought up.

“Oh, I’m sorry you three,” Chrom said; clearly feeling bad for not having introduced us three new recruits to the other before, “This is Stahl, one of our finest.”

Stahl turned to us with a smile, “Hello, Robin, Willow, Akiri. Miriel told me we had new Shepherds,” at our confused looked he elaborated, “Er, Miriel’s one of our mages,” I’d have figure out how to incorporate a mage into my strategies, but as mages could be rather versatile I doubted it would be a problem, “She should catch up soon.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Stahl,” my sister said returning the knight’s smile with her own, “If you’re hungry I think I have some jerky in my pack.”

“That’s your food though,” Stahl said, “You don’t have to share.”

“It’s fine,” my sister assured the man, then her voice took on a humorous note, “Besides, we wouldn’t want you keeling over from hunger mid-campaign.”

Stahl chuckled, “Well, if you’re sure, then I won’t refuse.”

With Stahl now in our group we began heading north to our final destination. Chrom was in the lead with Frederick, the latter occasionally urged his mount to move far ahead of our company in order to scout the path before us. Sully hadn’t been able to shake Virion, but with Akiri beside her the archer seemed less keen to talk; perhaps he knew of Akiri, or if not he at least realized she would not be the best to trying wooing. Sumia and Lisaa rode side-by-side occasionally giggling about something.

My sister was riding next to Stahl speaking animatedly to him; for his part Stahl seemed to be enjoying my twin’s company. I glanced over at Vaike, who was riding alongside me, but before I could strike up a conversation with him Chrom called to me. I urged my horse into a trot, and pulled up alongside my friend. Frederick had returned and held a grim countenance.

“What’s the problem Frederick?” Chrom asked.

“Ahead, I spotted a small merchant caravan but the merchants themselves were nowhere to be found,” Freaderick said.

“Bandits, then?” Chrom questioned.

I shook my head, “It doesn’t seem likely; if it were bandits they would’ve killed the merchants but Frederick didn’t see any bodies. Slavers would be more likely, but even they don’t take all the people they come across in a raid. What of the goods the merchants were carrying?”

“Those were all still there; not an object was touched,” the knight said.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” I muttered, “Chrom, I suggest we go around the caravan; we can’t put the others in a panic until we know for sure what happened. Did you scout the area around the caravan?”

“Not as well as I would’ve liked,” Frederick replied. I began muttering under my breath.

“Robin?” Chrom’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, “Do you have an idea of what might have happened?”

“A theory, but one I’m afraid is right,” I said.

Chrom exchanged a look with Frederick, “Then what do you suggest we do?”

“Firstly, as I said before we should go around the caravan to avoid causing the others panic,” I said, “Then Frederick, you could take a couple of the others with you to scout the area more thoroughly; I suggest Stahl and Akiri as they’re the least likely to do anything rash. We’ll give you a couple hours; see if you can find the merchants,” I turned to Chrom, “Does that sound like an acceptable plan to you?”

Chrom nodded, “Frederick get Akiri and Stahl, but don’t panic them.”

“As you wish, milord,” Frederick inclined his head. He must have done this before because he was easily able to pull Stahl and Akiri from their travelling partners without alarming the others. Then the three rode off. Then Chrom and I subtly altered our path to take us out around the caravan. Once we were a good distance away from the area we stopped and waited for Frederick and his scouting group to return. It took an hour or two before I spotted them; their faces bore serious expressions, which meant that this second evaluation had proven just as futile as the original.

“Anything?” Chrom questioned the three returning, though from his tone he wasn’t expecting anything different from me. The scouting party shook their heads drawing a sigh from our leader.

“We searched every inch of the forest that we dared, but found no one,” Akiri said, “The only thing we did find were footprints – too many to identify – and some of their merchandise. It’s clear the merchants were surprised by whoever, or whatever happened across their caravan.”

“I hate to just leave without knowing what happened, but we have so few clues which leaves us little choice,” Chrom sighed, “Frederick inform the others that we’re heading out; we’ll travel a little longer before breaking for camp.”

“Understood milord,” with a small salute Frederick rode off with Stahl, who’d offered his assistance, close behind him. Then the two that had remained behind turned to me.

“What do you make of it Robin?” Chrom asked.

I glanced in the direction of the caravan, “Nothing good; I’m afraid my theory might just be right.”

“What theory might that be?” Akiri questioned. Before I could answer Stahl was galloping back towards us. The looks on his face did not fill me with confidence.

“Chrom, we’ve got trouble ahead,” Stahl called to us once he was close enough. I shared a look with my two companions before we urged our mounts into a run.

Chrom

We pulled to the front of the company and reigned in our horses at the sight before us. The creatures from the forest stood before us in a milling mass. Thankfully, they either didn’t register our presence or they weren’t concerned with us as the moment. Not that it made me feel any better about their presence here.

“Gods, have the Risen spread this far?” I asked aloud.

“‘Risen’?” Willowed asked giving me a confused look.

Frederick explained for me, “We needed a name for this new threat, so the council gave them one.”

“Well,” Akiri spoke, “it’s appropriate, I’ll give you that.”

I nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Robin observing the crowd of Risen; his eyes taking in even the minute details of the foes we’d have to face. A grim look passed over his face as his eyes passed over a group within the horde, so I followed his gaze. A shudder ran through me as I did.

“Are those?” I breathed my open ended question out.

“I believe so,” was Robin’s answer. I narrowed my eyes in response. Now there was even more reason to deal with these monsters.

I turned to look at the others behind me making sure my voice carried to those farther in back, “Everyone, remember what we’re up against!”

Vaike let out a laugh as he glared at our Risen foes, “They’ll remember _me_ once I drive my axe into their…” he froze, “Wait… my axe. Where’s my axe?! I had it just a second ago!”

“Vaike, this is no time for jokes…” though I was irritated my tone screamed resigned; it wasn’t the first time Vaike had joked in a serious situation.

“I’m serious!” the blond growled, “It’s gone, but I _just_ had it! It’s got to be around here somewhere…” he glanced around trying to locate his missing weapon.

I sighed, “Keep to the rear, then! The battle is nigh!”

“Frederick, take Sully, Virion and Willow and find the high ground; deal with these abominations from afar. Vaike hang back until you find your axe or another weapon; Lissa you, Sumia and Akiri stay with him,” Robin easily commanded our company; he was really the best choice for the Shepherds’ tactician, “Chrom, Stahl and I will handle the front lines. We can’t afford to lose this battle.”

No one objected, though Sully looked less than please with her assignment. But I could see the logic; she and Frederick were two of the strongest and could easily deal with any foes that slipped under the noses of Willow and Virion. Even so she fell in with her group along with everyone else. Robin and I had dismounted – leaving our steeds in Sumia’s care – before charging at the Risen. A few arrows and fire balls flew over our heads clearing out some of our foe. Then my sword sang as I sliced through one of the creatures. Stahl rode up on my right slashing at the beasts that came close to him.

On my left Robin cut a Risen’s head clean off before sending a bolt of lightning through several more. A choked grunt had me spinning around only to see my would be attacker fall to the ground with an arrow in its back. A few let out inhuman screams as they were charred into ash. It went on like that for a few more moments before the Risen seemed to get a second wind. A spear was thrust in my direction, but I was already blocking a sword swing. Before I could be impaled a stroke from an axe, wielded by Vaike, cleaved the weapon in two. Though I was confused about where the blond had gotten the axe I turned my attention back on the fight I was embroiled in; I’d have all of tonight to learn what had occurred.

~A Little Earlier~

Akiri

I kept a careful eye on the fight playing out before me; I was responsible for those standing with me after all. Lissa was a healer, and had nothing to defend herself with. While it was clear that Sumia could fight, she was also very nervous and that could lead to her getting hurt if she tried to do battle. I wouldn’t’ve had to concern myself with Vaike, if he hadn’t lost his weapon. I did take solace in the fact that the man from the garrison – the one with the huge set of armor – was back with me too; apparently no one had noticed him when Robin was placing everyone, not that I was complaining. Thankfully, very few Risen got past Chrom and his group; those that did were quickly dealt with by either Willow or Virion. Needless to say I was starting to get a little bored, so when I heard someone speaking behind my group I was instantly on guard.

Trusting the mysterious man in armor to keep watch, I turned to find a woman with spectacles striding up to our group. She wore a large pointed hat that shadowed her face, but a bit of her hair was bathed in light revealing it to be a dark red. The hair itself was cut short and straight, framing her face and giving her a studious appearance. She carried a tome under her arm, and as she grew closer I realized she was speaking aloud to herself.

“Splendid!” she said taking in the battle before her, “It seems I’ve caught up. Now to extirpate these brutes…” clearly she meant the Risen – at least that’s what I hoped she meant – then something on the ground caught her eye, “Hmm? Is that an axe?” she bent down and lifted the object, though it seemed to be slightly difficult for her to do, “Why yes it is… Perhaps someone mislaid it? I’d not thought such dereliction permissible among the Shepherds. Still,” she breathed out in an annoyed manner, “I’d be remiss to not return this implement to its owner. Perhaps along with a stern word or two of disapprobation!”

So, she was on our side which allowed me to ease some of the tension from my body. Furthermore, she had found an axe; likely… or at least hopefully it was the one Vaike had lost.

With that in mind I turned to the blond man, “Vaike that woman over there just found your axe, I think,” I gestured to the woman as I spoke. Vaike spun around and rushed over to the woman.

“Whoa! My axe!” he said when he reached the woman and looked over the weapon she was holding.

“I wondered what manner of ignoramus would mislay their weapon,” the woman said as she handed the axe to Vaike, “Now I know!”

“Thanks, Miriel!” the blond said with a grin, “…Er, for the axe, anyway.”

The woman, Miriel, rolled her eyes, “Perhaps next time I’ll use a spell to fasten it to your hands… permanently.”

I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, which was honestly as impressive as it was scary – I was usually able to read people so easily. I took in the new arrival once more, and what Stahl had said rolled through my head. He’d mentioned a mage named Miriel, and said that she would catch up later. That meant that this woman was probably the same person. I couldn’t dwell on the thought for long as sounds of increased fighting pulled my attention back to Chrom’s group.

“Vaike, head to the frontlines,” I said pulling the blond’s attention back to the matter at hand, “Chrom and the others are going to need help,” I didn’t have to say anything else as Vaike took off towards the group of three, “Miriel, was it?” I earned a stiff nod from the woman, “Hang back with us; we’re not seeing a lot of fighting, but I’d appreciate any help I can get.”

~Present Time~

Willow

The Risen had gotten a second wind, but with the appearance of Vaike on the frontlines our own company was quick to answer. I rained fire on the outliers as Virion followed my example with his arrows. One of the few Risen that managed to reach us was quickly struck by Sully’s spear. Then the battle began to slow, fewer and fewer enemies showed themselves. Finally, Chrom struck the final blow and the fight came to an end. The four of us on the hill made our way back to the path where we met up with the rest of our company. Lissa was quick to check everyone over, and heal the more dangerous wounds – of which there were few thankfully.

“That was the last of them right?” I asked.

Chrom nodded, “Finally, and good riddance! But if they’re appearing this far up the Northroad…”

“Then no path is safe,” Frederick finished for him, “We’ll need to stay wary.”

“Something you’d know all about, right Sir Frederick?” Akiri said with a humorous tone before becoming serious, “But in all seriousness, that would be wise.”

A nod of agreement came from Chrom, “That said let’s get moving. We’ll need to find somewhere safe to camp for the night; I don’t fancy dealing with more of those monsters today.”

With that those that had dismounted climbed back into the saddle, and then we were off. Even with the serious threat that the Risen were becoming, I found that I couldn’t bring myself to be too concerned about it. Instead my mind was focused on the rest of the journey lying ahead of us, and what our destination, Regna Ferox, would hold for us once we got there.


End file.
